Donald Trump’s foreign policy in the Middle East, shaped partly by son-in-law Jared Kushner, was outspoken in his support for Saudi Arabia.
As Rachel explained on the show nearly a year ago, Trump’s first foreign trip as president was to Riyadh. When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman imprisoned other members of the royal family, Trump announced his support for the move. When the Saudis imposed a blockade on American allies in Qatar, Trump supported it as well. When the US had evidence of Bin Salman approving the operation that killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump boasted that he came to the crown prince’s rescue and shielded him from consequences.
Kushner was responsible, at least partially, for helping shape administration policy, making several trips to Saudi Arabia during his father-in-law’s tenure.
It was against this backdrop that The Washington Post reported on what happened after Trump and Kushner left the White House, as they faced “unprecedented business challenges”.
A day after leaving the White House, Kushner created a company that he turned into a private equity firm months later with $2 billion from a sovereign wealth fund headed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kushner’s firm structured those funds in such a way that it was not required to disclose the source, according to previously declassified details of Securities and Exchange Commission filings reviewed by The Washington Post. Experts said his business used a commonly employed strategy that allows many equity firms to avoid transparency about funding sources.
This new reporting, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, dovetails well with a related New York Times report from last year that found Saudi sovereign wealth funds to help oversee were responsible for, to put it mildly, the extreme skepticism of giving the $2 billion investment to Kushner’s new firm. Those concerns were understandable: The fund’s advisors rightly noted that Trump’s son-in-law had no relevant experience, and deemed the firm’s operations “unsatisfactory in all aspects.”
Kushner got the money anyway.
A separate Times report said that as her father-in-law’s term expires in late 2020 and early 2021, Kushner has not only prepared for life after a powerful White House role, but has also made additional Middle East commitments. Also made a series of visits. , with representatives of the countries his newly formed private equity firm will soon approach for substantial financial investments – raising inevitable questions about the extent to which Kushner has leveraged his White House role to advance his business interests.
What’s more, as the Post reported, in the months that followed, Trump’s golf course began hosting tournaments for a Saudi fund-backed venture, and the Trump Organization “owned a Saudi real estate company.” Entered into an agreement with, which plans to build a Trump Hotel. As part of a $4 billion golf resort in Oman.”
The article noted that many insiders “worried that Trump and Kushner used their offices to position themselves to profit from their ties to the Saudis after the administration ended.”
These questions are hardly strange. Indeed, they seem painfully obvious, especially given House Republicans’ apparent interest in foreign influence peddling and foreign investment in members of the president’s family.
In fact, as for the GOP’s obsessive interest in Hunter Biden, he has never served at any level in any presidential administration; He never extended his father’s foreign policies towards any country; And his role in American foreign policy was, is and has been virtually non-existent.
Kushner, on the other hand, was Trump’s right-hand man in the White House, taking a special interest in US policy in the Middle East, ahead of the $2 billion his budding firm received from the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund.
So, clearly this is the kind of controversy that needs some attention from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, right? Wrong.
“Look, we’re investigating Joe Biden,” the Kentucky Republican told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos yesterday. Comer said in the on-air interview, “The difference between Jared Kushner and Hunter Biden is that Jared Kushner actually sat down and was interviewed. Investigators questioned him. So he’s already been investigated.” .
The GOP congressman was apparently referring to the fact that Kushner spoke with investigators on Jan. 6, not officials interested in Kushner’s Saudi deals. The idea that Trump’s son-in-law has “already been investigated” over his dealings with Riyadh is patently false.
Comer clearly didn’t want to come out and say, “Republicans prefer to ignore evidence of corruption because it implicates our political allies,” but that was effectively the message.
This post is our revised version related prior coverage,
Source: www.msnbc.com
