Jared Kushner Lying to Grand Jury Would Help Jack Smith, Kirschner Speculates

Jared Kushner could have imperiled himself legally if he lied to Jack Smith's January 6 grand jury, according to legal analyst Glenn Kirschner, who said he hopes and suspects that Kushner did not tell the truth but did not provide evidence for the claim.

Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump and son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, was recently reported to have testified before the federal grand jury hearing evidence related to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election prior to the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to The New York Times. He was reportedly pressed about whether or not the former president privately admitted to losing the election, or if he continued to falsely assert that it had been stolen from him.

Both Kushner and Ivanka Trump served as senior advisers in the Trump White House, and had intimate knowledge of the administration's inner workings. They previously gave testimony to the House select committee that investigated the Capital riots. That probe ultimately led to criminal referrals for Trump and three of his associates.

In the Saturday edition of his ongoing YouTube series, Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, discussed Kushner's reported testimony and expressed doubts about whether or not he was honest before the grand jury, without giving evidence to support such speculation.

In his past analyses, Kirschner has expressed his assessment that Trump is guilty of numerous crimes pertaining to his efforts to overturn the last presidential election. Trump, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence, as he has in all of the legal battles that he is currently facing. The former president says that all legal proceedings and probes targeting him are politically motivated.

"The most important question becomes: Did Jared tell the grand jury the truth and incriminate his father-in-law? Or, did Jared lie and incriminate himself?" Kirschner said. "Well, I for one hope Jared lied. I even suspect Jared lied."

He continued, explaining that if Kushner lied to the grand jury about a matter relevant to its investigation and for which Smith has evidence to support, the same grand jury could be asked to consider him for charges of perjury—or even adding him to the case as a co-conspirator.

"So why do I say I hope Jared Kushner lied? Well, that will give Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors the opportunity to indict Jared Kushner, to flip Jared Kushner, and to compel him to testify truthfully about the crimes of his father-in-law, Donald Trump," Kirschner added. "If he chooses to lie, that is precisely what I believe Jack Smith will do."

The Times report noted that Kushner is believed to have testified that Trump genuinely believed his falsehoods about election fraud. Kirschner said that reported testimony was disproven by past comments from former Department of Justice staff members who worked under Trump after the 2020 election.

Newsweek reached out to Kushner's office via email for comment.

Update, 7/17/23, 1:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.