Top Democrat Officially Launches Investigation Into Billions Received By Jared Kushner’s Firm From The Middle East

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, officially opened an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and White House aide Jared Kushner.

Kushner has long been under fire for pocketing billions in investments for his firm, Affinity Partners, from countries he worked closely with during his time in the White House – including Saudi Arabia.

Wyden sent a letter to Affinity Partners Chief Financial Officer Lauren Key saying that Kushner receiving funding from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar created “significant conflicts of interest and potential counterintelligence risks.”

In a statement, Wyden also said his Wednesday letter “sought records and information pertaining to the tens of millions in payments Kushner is receiving from the Saudis and other foreign sources every year while exploiting private investment fund disclosure loopholes to shield the arrangement from public scrutiny. The letter also noted that the firm’s reliance on foreign investors raises concerns that Middle Eastern governments are using payments to Affinity executives as a means to influence Kushner and other politically powerful individuals.”

Kushner repeatedly raised eyebrows during his time in the White House over his close relationship to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who boasted in 2018 that Kushner was “in his pocket,” according to multiple reports.

Kushner also sought and received an investment from Qatar into a distressed New York City asset while in the White House. Kushner played a key role in negotiations during the Gulf states’ blockade of Qatar around the same time as he received the investment.

Read Sen. Wyden’s full letter here.