The Hill – by Jacqueline Thomsen
Jared Kushner’s family’s business received a $30 million investment from a major Israeli financial institution shortly before Kushner traveled to the country as part of President Trump’s state visit to Israel in May, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Kushner Companies received about $30 million from Menora Mivtachim, an executive from the company told The Times.
The investment was for Maryland apartment complexes owned by the family business.
The Times reported that the deal didn’t appear to violate federal ethics laws, and that Kushner didn’t seem to be involved in the deal.
Ran Markman, Menora’s head of real estate, told the newspaper that the deal was not made because of Kushner’s standing in the U.S. government, saying he had never met Kushner.
“The connection to the president was not an issue,” Markman said.
Kushner stepped down from the company last year to join his father-in-law’s administration, but still owns stakes in the business, including in the Maryland apartment buildings.
The New York Times previously reported that the family teamed with a member of a wealthy Israeli family to purchase roughly $200 million in Manhattan apartment buildings.
Kushner’s company has also taken out multiple loans from Israel’s largest bank, and his family’s foundation has donated money to a settlement group in the West Bank, the newspaper reported.
Trump tapped Kushner to help lead his administration’s charge on peace efforts in the Middle East.
White House spokesman Raj Shah told the Times that the Trump administration has “tremendous confidence in the job Jared is doing leading our peace efforts, and he takes the ethics rules very seriously and would never compromise himself or the administration.”
A spokeswoman for Kushner Companies told The Times that the business has partners across the globe, adding that it “does no business with foreign sovereigns or governments, and is not precluded from doing business with any foreign company simply because Jared is working in the government.”
“Trump tapped Kushner to help lead his administration’s charge on peace efforts in the Middle East.’
Shoulda DOUBLE-TAPPED the POS!