Mueller Now Investigating Kushner’s Ties With Foreign Financing

Jared Kushner Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman February 20, 2018

The ever-expanding investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election now reportedly includes also a probe of Jared Kushner’s businesses and finances.

According to CNN, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team are looking into Kushner’s efforts to find foreign investors to help salvage the family business’s failed 666 Fifth Avenue real-estate deal. The Kushner Companies bought the building in 2007 for $1.8 billion in a deal heavily reliant on loans. Their investment has since taken a hit, leading the Kushners to seek buyers for parts of the project.

Mueller is reportedly focusing on meetings and conversations Kushner held during the presidential transition period with Chinese and Qatari investors. The investigation team has not provided comment about Mueller’s interest in Kushner’s financial dealings, but CNN’s report could indicate a suspicion of violating conflict of interest rules, since Kushner served as President Trump’s foreign policy point man during the transition while still being involved in some of his family businesses.

Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, claimed CNN’s report was false. “In all of Mr. Kushner’s extensive cooperation with all inquiries, there has not been a single question asked nor document sought on the 666 building or Kushner Co. deals,” he said. “Nor would there be any reason to question these regular business transactions.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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