Senior aide and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner will not be asked to take the oath while testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday.
Kushner will speak behind closed doors to the committee but he won't be required to swear an oath, according to The Washington Post.
"That arrangement still poses [a] significant legal risk to someone under investigation," The Post explained.
Though, if Kushner were to perjure himself under oath, his father-in-law has done research in recent days to better understand the process for presidential pardons.
“No one who has paid any attention to this administration should doubt that if Kushner ever needs a pardon, he will get one,’’ said former federal prosecutor Justin Dillon.
Kushner maintains he has done nothing wrong. Through attorney Abbe Lowell, Kushner explained that he is "prepared to voluntarily cooperate and provide whatever information he has on the investigations to Congress." Kushner also "appreciates the opportunity to assist in putting this matter to rest."
He's not the only one close to Trump to take the stand for officials. Eldest son Donald Trump Jr. is also sought by Congress for questioning this week, along with former campaign chair Paul Manafort.
In 2006, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee squared off on whether then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be forced to swear an oath while testifying about the National Security Agency eaves dropping scandal. The committee voted on it and it broke down party lines and he didn't have to be sworn in.
Typically when testifying before Congress, one takes an oath similar to one taken in a court of law. Procedures vary depending on the committee. The Judiciary Committee, for example, does not require it but the Senate Select Committee on Ethics outlines"all witnesses … [must] be sworn unless the Senator presiding decides otherwise."
