US prosecutors grill Trump's son-in-law, former advisor over stolen election claims

WASHINGTON, US - US federal prosecutors have questioned Donald Trump's son-in-law and ex-senior advisor Jared Kushner as part of their probe into the former president in the aftermath of the 2020 election, German news agency (dpa) quoted media reports.

Kushner has testified before a grand jury, the New York Times and US broadcaster CNN reported on Wednesday. CNN also reported that Trump's close confidante and political advisor at the time, Hope Hicks, had been questioned.

The New York Times reported that Kushner had been questioned in June. Both his questioning and that of other witnesses in recent weeks had focused on whether Trump had privately acknowledged that he had lost in the days after the election.

The New York Times said prosecutors are trying to establish whether Trump attempted to remain in power with corrupt intent, that he knew that his claims were based on a lie.

According to the New York Times, Kushner testified that he had the impression that Trump actually believed that his election victory had been "stolen" - that his successor, US President Joe Biden, had not won legitimately.

On the day the Democrat's election victory was to be certified in the US Congress, Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol building to prevent the transfer of power after an inflammatory speech by the outgoing president. Trump still refuses to publicly admit defeat. - BERNAMA