 "Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have stepped away from politics. File image/Reuters")
The Democratic chair of the US Senate Finance Committee has called for a special counsel to investigate whether Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Saudi Arabia.
In a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Jamie Raskin cited a media report that Kushner had discussed US-Saudi diplomacy concerning Israel with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on multiple occasions since leaving the White House.
An October 4 Reuters report, citing a source familiar with the matter, said Kushner’s discussions with the crown prince included talks on normalising Saudi-Israel relations.
As Trump’s special advisor, Kushner played a key role in negotiating the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
Although Saudi Arabia did not sign the accords, the Biden administration has sought to encourage the kingdom to do so. Those efforts have stalled amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
“Mr Kushner appears to be influencing US foreign policy by acting as a political consultant to the Saudi government while also accepting their money,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, seen by Reuters.
The letter comes just days before the US presidential election between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
It urged Garland to appoint a special counsel, saying Kushner’s close ties to former President Trump raise concerns about political interference. Special counsel investigations are typically more independent than regular Justice Department probes, although they can still be dismissed by the attorney general.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSaudi Arabia has invested $2 billion into Kushner’s private equity fund, Affinity Partners, which he founded in 2021 after leaving government, according to congressional investigators. Kushner served as a top Middle East adviser during Trump’s administration.
A spokesperson for Kushner dismissed the request as a “desperate attempt by partisan Democrats” to create an issue ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
Chad Mizelle, Affinity Partners’ Chief Legal Officer, also rejected the allegations, calling them “a disgraceful attempt” to politicise the Department of Justice with “accusations that have no merit or evidence.”
With inputs from Reuters