Ranking Member Raskin and Rep. Garcia Demand Republicans Investigate Jared Kushner’s Influence Peddling and Threats to National Security

Washington, D.C. (March 26, 2024) — Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, urged Chairmen James Comer and Glenn Grothman to hold a hearing regarding Jared Kushner’s apparent influence peddling and quid pro quos for actions he undertook to reshape U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and beyond, as senior adviser in former President Donald Trump’s Administration.

“We write to urge you to convene a hearing regarding Jared Kushner’s apparent influence peddling and quid pro quo deals involving investments in exchange for official actions and to examine the resulting threats to our national security.  Our request comes in light of allegations that Jared Kushner is pursuing new foreign business deals, just as Donald Trump becomes the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency,” wrote the Members in the letter.

On March 15, the New York Times reported that Jared Kushner was close to finalizing investments in Albania and Serbia, leveraging relationships he built during his time as a senior adviser in his father-in-law’s White House.  In pursuing investment opportunities in Albania, Mr. Kushner and his reported advisor Richard Grenell, another former senior Trump Administration official, have been openly using their relationship with Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, whom then-President Trump received unconstitutional payments from while serving as Commander-in-Chief.

This is only the most recent example of Mr. Kushner’s pattern of profiting from his time in the White House.  In another instance, shortly after leaving the White House where Mr. Kushner advocated for pro-Saudipolicies often at odds with the State Department, Mr. Kushner’s investment firm secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund at the direction of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself, who “overruled” opposition from the fund’s panel.

Chairman Comer conceded that Mr. Kushner’s conduct “crossed the line of ethics” and promised that the Oversight Committee would investigate Mr. Kushner, yet he has since allowed Mr. Kushner to repeatedly ignore and deny Committee Democrats’ attempts to obtain the necessary information to examine Mr. Kushner’s business dealings.  Just last week, Committee Republicans voted down a motion offered by Ranking Member Raskin to subpoena Mr. Kushner to appear at a Committee deposition to answer questions about his financial dealings with foreign governments.

“This Committee cannot claim to be ‘investigating foreign nationals’ attempts to target and coerce high-ranking U.S. officials’ family members by providing money or other benefits in exchange for certain actions’ while continuing to ignore these matters.  We therefore urge you to work with us to finally investigate Mr. Kushner’s receipt of billions of dollars from foreign governments in deals that appear to be quid pro quos for actions he undertook as senior White House adviser in Donald Trump’s Administration,” the Members concluded.

Click here to read the letter.

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