SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Loans to Jared Kushner's family real estate company are supposedly being investigated by the White House after reporters, lawmakers, and watchdog groups started raising concerns. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
After Public Outcry, White House Ethics Office Probes Suspicious Loans to Kushner Companies
"We all need to ask again: Why is Jared Kushner still a senior White House advisor?"
Mar 27, 2018
According to a March 22 letter released Monday, White House ethics attorneys are investigating a pair of loans given to Kushner Companies, the family real estate company of President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is facing mounting scrutiny following reports about potential conflicts of interest.
The probe comes in response to ethics concerned raised by journalists, lawmakers, and watchdog groups, after the New York Times reported late last month that Kushner Companies received more than half a billion dollars in loans after Kushner met with two financial executives to discuss official White House business--and, a few days later, The Intercept reported that a month after the firm failed to secure an investment from the Qatari government, Kushner advised Trump to provide essential support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE's bockade of Qatar.
The letter (pdf) was written by acting director of the Office of Government Ethics David Apol and addressed to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a member of the House Oversight Committee who started asking questions after the Times report about Kushner Companies receiving a $184 million loan from Apollo Global Management and a $325 million loan from Citigroup. Jared Kushner stepped down from managing the company to join his father-in-law's administration, but he remains a part owner.
Apol's letter acknowledges that even the discussion of private business during Kushner's meetings with the financial executives could be cause for concern, but "more importantly, if there was a connection between the potential loan and an official act, it could raise an issue under 18 U.S.C. SS 201 (bribery and illegal gratuities)." It also notes Krishnamoorthi's proposition that Kushner's actions could "constitute a breach of his ethical obligations to the American people."
"The White House is in a position to ascertain the relevant facts related to both possible violations and is responsible for monitoring compliance with ethics requirements...[and] initiating any appropriate disciplinary or correction action," Apol wrote. "I have discussed this matter with the White House Counsel's Office in order to ensure that they have begun the process of ascertaining the facts necessary to determine whether any law or regulation has been violated. During that discussion, the White House informed me that they had already begun this process."
Despite the letter's claim that an investigation has already begun, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies told the Wall Street Journal that the firm had not yet received an inquiry from the White House. Kushner's attorney, meanwhile, claimed the White House counsel had already concluded the loans were not connected to his dealings on behalf of the Trump administration.
After the Journal reported on Apol's letter, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted a common reaction:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
According to a March 22 letter released Monday, White House ethics attorneys are investigating a pair of loans given to Kushner Companies, the family real estate company of President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is facing mounting scrutiny following reports about potential conflicts of interest.
The probe comes in response to ethics concerned raised by journalists, lawmakers, and watchdog groups, after the New York Times reported late last month that Kushner Companies received more than half a billion dollars in loans after Kushner met with two financial executives to discuss official White House business--and, a few days later, The Intercept reported that a month after the firm failed to secure an investment from the Qatari government, Kushner advised Trump to provide essential support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE's bockade of Qatar.
The letter (pdf) was written by acting director of the Office of Government Ethics David Apol and addressed to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a member of the House Oversight Committee who started asking questions after the Times report about Kushner Companies receiving a $184 million loan from Apollo Global Management and a $325 million loan from Citigroup. Jared Kushner stepped down from managing the company to join his father-in-law's administration, but he remains a part owner.
Apol's letter acknowledges that even the discussion of private business during Kushner's meetings with the financial executives could be cause for concern, but "more importantly, if there was a connection between the potential loan and an official act, it could raise an issue under 18 U.S.C. SS 201 (bribery and illegal gratuities)." It also notes Krishnamoorthi's proposition that Kushner's actions could "constitute a breach of his ethical obligations to the American people."
"The White House is in a position to ascertain the relevant facts related to both possible violations and is responsible for monitoring compliance with ethics requirements...[and] initiating any appropriate disciplinary or correction action," Apol wrote. "I have discussed this matter with the White House Counsel's Office in order to ensure that they have begun the process of ascertaining the facts necessary to determine whether any law or regulation has been violated. During that discussion, the White House informed me that they had already begun this process."
Despite the letter's claim that an investigation has already begun, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies told the Wall Street Journal that the firm had not yet received an inquiry from the White House. Kushner's attorney, meanwhile, claimed the White House counsel had already concluded the loans were not connected to his dealings on behalf of the Trump administration.
After the Journal reported on Apol's letter, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted a common reaction:
According to a March 22 letter released Monday, White House ethics attorneys are investigating a pair of loans given to Kushner Companies, the family real estate company of President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is facing mounting scrutiny following reports about potential conflicts of interest.
The probe comes in response to ethics concerned raised by journalists, lawmakers, and watchdog groups, after the New York Times reported late last month that Kushner Companies received more than half a billion dollars in loans after Kushner met with two financial executives to discuss official White House business--and, a few days later, The Intercept reported that a month after the firm failed to secure an investment from the Qatari government, Kushner advised Trump to provide essential support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE's bockade of Qatar.
The letter (pdf) was written by acting director of the Office of Government Ethics David Apol and addressed to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a member of the House Oversight Committee who started asking questions after the Times report about Kushner Companies receiving a $184 million loan from Apollo Global Management and a $325 million loan from Citigroup. Jared Kushner stepped down from managing the company to join his father-in-law's administration, but he remains a part owner.
Apol's letter acknowledges that even the discussion of private business during Kushner's meetings with the financial executives could be cause for concern, but "more importantly, if there was a connection between the potential loan and an official act, it could raise an issue under 18 U.S.C. SS 201 (bribery and illegal gratuities)." It also notes Krishnamoorthi's proposition that Kushner's actions could "constitute a breach of his ethical obligations to the American people."
"The White House is in a position to ascertain the relevant facts related to both possible violations and is responsible for monitoring compliance with ethics requirements...[and] initiating any appropriate disciplinary or correction action," Apol wrote. "I have discussed this matter with the White House Counsel's Office in order to ensure that they have begun the process of ascertaining the facts necessary to determine whether any law or regulation has been violated. During that discussion, the White House informed me that they had already begun this process."
Despite the letter's claim that an investigation has already begun, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies told the Wall Street Journal that the firm had not yet received an inquiry from the White House. Kushner's attorney, meanwhile, claimed the White House counsel had already concluded the loans were not connected to his dealings on behalf of the Trump administration.
After the Journal reported on Apol's letter, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted a common reaction:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.