Raskin Officially Asks House Republicans to Subpoena Jared Kushner’s Advisory Firm For Saudi Investment Docs
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, officially asked the Republican leadership of his committee on Thursday to subpoena documents related to the $2 billion Saudi investment in Jared Kushner’s money management fund.
“I write to request that you issue a subpoena to Jared Kushner’s investment firm, A Fin Management LLC (Affinity), to compel the production of documents regarding the extraordinary funding it received from foreign governments—including billions of dollars from sovereign wealth funds controlled by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) —shortly after Mr. Kushner left government service, working as senior adviser to his father-in-law, then-president Donald Trump, overseeing U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East,” begins Raskin’s letter to Chairman James Comer (R-KY).
Raskin also cited comments Comer made to CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier in the month in the letter. “I am encouraged by your recent acknowledgement that ‘what Kushner did crossed the line of ethics’ and your repeated assertions that our Committee is ‘investigating foreign nationals’ attempts to target and coerce high-ranking U.S. officials’ family members by providing money or other benefits in exchange for certain actions,’” Raskin continued, drawing a not-so-subtle comparison to investigations into Hunter Biden.
In the letter, the Maryland Democrat also noted that when Democrats were in the majority they requested documents from Kushner related to his business relationship with Saudi Arabia and its controversial Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Despite Committee Democrats’ repeated efforts to obtain relevant documents to understand the full scope of Mr. Kushner’s foreign business dealings and the legal, constitutional, and ethical problems they create, Mr. Kushner and his fund have refused to cooperate with our requests,” Raskin adds.
While former President Donald Trump was in office Kushner was repeatedly accused of running his own foreign policy operation in the White House, which led to tension and later condemnation from Trump’s first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Kushner also made headlines for his close relationship with bin Salman, who in March of 2018 reportedly described Kushner as “in his pocket.”
Raskin also makes clear that Kushner, who has no experience running an investment firm and was a notoriously unsuccessful real-estate investor before working in his father-in-law’s White House, receives a massive salary from the firm:
As Committee Democrats have repeatedly insisted, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s direct personal involvement in ensuring Mr. Kushner received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s PIF—plus a $25 million a year management fee—raises the significant possibility that there was a large quid pro quo shaping Mr. Kushner’s official actions in the White House, where he helped dramatically recast U.S. foreign policy toward Saudi Arabia.
As the 2024 campaign season heats up and Republicans continue to focus on Hunter Biden and their allegations of corruption surrounding the Bidens, Raskin appears poised to make sure Jared Kushner enters the conversation as well.
Read the full letter here.
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