Jared Kushner was worried about his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, reportedly asking a friend about the ongoing Russia probe: "Do you think they'll get the president?"
The businessman and adviser to the president was reportedly concerned about the reach of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe following the indictment of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, according to a report from Vanity Fair that cited a source briefed on Kushner's conversation. He questioned whether the investigation would reach the president even as he himself faced increasing scrutiny.
Kushner's concern is understandable. In addition to being a recurring figure in the Russia probe—with media reports revealing he had contacts with Russian figures that he previously kept secret—Kushner's role as an adviser to the president is reportedly turning sour.
After Manafort and Gates were indicted, the president reportedly expressed his frustration at decisions taken with the advice of Kushner—including the dismissal of former FBI director James Comey—that resulted in the appointment of Mueller.
The concern from Ivanka Trump's husband about the extent of the investigation also appears at odds with the attitude of the president, who has reportedly indicated he believed Mueller's investigation over whether his campaign team colluded with Russia is almost over.
Despite legal experts suggesting the investigation is far from finished, The Washington Post reported Trump and many of his aides are under the impression the probe has reached "its final stage" as Mueller indicts and interviews those closest to the president.
For his part, Trump has a disdain for the investigations into Russia's alleged attempt to influence the U.S. presidential election in 2016, referring to the ongoing probe as "fake news" on more than one occasion, and questioning why there hadn't been an investigation into Hillary Clinton's involvement in the Uranium One deal (which is now under scrutiny).
More recently, Trump infuriated members of the U.S. intelligence community when he said he accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances that Russia had not attempted to meddle in the U.S. election.
"Every time he sees me he says, 'I didn't do that,' and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it. I think he is very insulted by it," Trump said after meeting Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the beginning of November, in comments he later stepped back from.
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