Democrats begin an investigation into Jared Kushners Saudi deals – MSNBC

Over the last couple of months, theres been some striking reporting about Jared Kushner and the generous funding hes received from Saudi Arabia. The New York Times reported yesterday that the deals have sparked the interest of a key congressional committee which has begun an investigation.

Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, the New York Democrat who leads the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, gave Mr. Kushner a two-week deadline in a letter sent on Thursday to furnish documents related to the Saudi funds investment last year in his firm, Affinity Partners. She also asked for any personal correspondence between Mr. Kushner and the Saudi kingdoms de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during or after the Trump administration.

Kushners lawyer said in a written statement that the former White House official fully abided by all legal and ethical guidelines both during and after his government service. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee dont appear convinced.

In an eight-page letter, Maloney told Kushner the panel is investigating whether your personal financial interests improperly influenced U.S. foreign policy during the administration of your father-in-law, former President Trump.

Given the available information, it appears to be a line of inquiry rooted in evidence.

Lets circle back to our earlier coverage to review how we arrived at this point. Throughout Trumps presidency, the Republican administration went out of its way to side with Riyadh, thanks to a foreign policy in the region that was shaped, at least in part, by Kushner, who made multiple trips to Saudi Arabia.

Six months after his father-in-law left the White House, Kushner secured a $2 billion investment from the main Saudi sovereign wealth fund despite the fact that those responsible for helping oversee the fund were highly skeptical about giving Kushners firm this money. In fact, they accurately noted that Trumps son-in-law had no relevant experience, and the firms operations were deemed unsatisfactory in all aspects.

Kushner got the money anyway, alongside an agreement that after the firm received its first $500 million installment, the inexperienced former White House official would hire a qualified investment team, which seems like the sort of thing Kushner probably shouldve done before the $2 billion deal.

Regardless, it was a tough deal to defend. Indeed, when the news first came to public light, there was a question as to whether the Saudis agreed to such an investment because of services rendered which is to say, a possible reward for the pro-Saudi work Kushner did during his time in the White House or because of possible services to come in the event of a second term for his father-in-law.

But in a follow-up report from the Times, the details started to look a little worse: Toward the end of the Trump era, while some on the Republicans team explored ways to keep the then-president in power despite his defeat, Kushner didnt just prepare for life after a powerful White House role, he also made a series of additional trips to the Middle East, meeting with representatives of countries his newly formed private equity firm would soon approach for substantial financial investments.

Its not exactly a stretch to wonder about the degree to which Kushner may have leveraged his White House role to advance his business interests. Its also not too surprising the House Oversight Committee has a few questions about all of this.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Democrats begin an investigation into Jared Kushners Saudi deals - MSNBC