Russian envoy to US reportedly headed back home

Russia’s ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, has reportedly been called back to Moscow amid mounting scrutiny over his contacts with senior members of US President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign team now under investigation by the FBI and the US Congress

These members include senior aide Jared Kushner, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, all of whom have failed or have refused to disclose meetings and conversations with Kislyak and other Russian officials at various times.

The US-Russia Business Council is set to hold a going away party on July 11 for Kislyak, who has served as Russia’s envoy to Washington since 2008, according to Buzzfeed which cited three unnamed individuals familiar with the events. The shindig will reportedly take place at the St.Regis Hotel.

The Russian envoy has become an intriguing figure in the wider probes into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the presidential elections in 2016.

US intelligence chiefs have indicated that Russia orchestrated a campaign to undermine the American election process that included espionage and cyber-attacks, as a means to tilt the vote in Trump’s favor.

Flynn was fired less than a month in office for allegedly misleading the White House about his phone conversations late last December that reportedly included talks with Kislyak, just as then-president Barack Obama was ordering new sanctions on Russia over its alleged election meddling.

He is currently the subject of congressional probes and the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s alleged interference in the election and possible collusion with Trump associates.

Kushner failed to disclose some of his contacts with Russian government officials, including Kislyak, while he was filling out his security clearance questionnaire. His lawyer said the omissions were an “administrative error,” adding that “there was no intent to obscure any foreign meetings, including those with Russia.”

Kushner has said through his lawyers that he is willing to talk to federal and congressional investigators about his foreign contacts and his work on the Trump campaign.

During the Kislyak meeting, which took place at Trump Tower in New York last December, Kushner proposed a secret back channel between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team.

In his talks with Kislyak, Kushner broached the idea of a line of communication with Russia to promote sensitive discussions exploring the new administration’s possible options in Syria. The goal was to connect Flynn, Trump’s top national security aide at the time, with Russian military leaders. The Washington Post, which first reported the session, said Flynn also attended the meeting.

Sessions too has come under pressure over his own Russia contacts, including meetings with Kislyak, and recused himself from the Russia probe in March. In a testy Senate hearing earlier this month, Trump’s attorney general denied any collusion with Russia to tilt last year’s election, branding the suggestion an “appalling and detestable lie.”

Former FBI director James Comey has testified that the FBI knew of information that would have made it “problematic” for Sessions to be involved. Comey was fired abruptly last month by Trump for reasons, he has testified, are connected to the Russia probe.

He also testified, confirming media reports, that Trump had asked him in February to shut down the investigation into Flynn’s Russia ties, raising suspicions of possible obstruction of justice.

In May, Trump hosted Kislyak and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House in a meeting in which he reportedly called Comey a “nut job” and said that by sacking him — just a day earlier — he had had relieved him of “great pressure” over his ties to Russia. “That’s taken off,” he said.

The Senate earlier this month passed tough sanctions on Russia in a bill that aims to punish Putin for interfering in the elections and would prevent Trump from unilaterally easing penalties against Moscow.

Trump for his part has alternatively called the Russia investigations a “hoax,” and a “witch hunt” while also criticizing Obama for not doing more to punish Russia over the suspected meddling.