Former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner engaged in a “level of corruption that we’ve just never seen” when talking about his firm’s recent investments overseas.
Rhodes made the comment when asked about The New York Times’s recent reporting that detailed that 99 percent of Kushner’s investment fund’s money came from foreign sources. The outlet also reported Kushner is working on developing hotels in the Balkans, specifically in Serbia and Albania, and noted that the firm has taken money from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“I mean, look, this is not subtle corruption that we’re looking at,” Rhodes told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner during his Wednesday appearance on “Alex Wagner Tonight.”
“This is a guy, Jared Kushner, who had no expertise, no qualification whatsoever to be in the White House while he was there. He made it his account to work in the Gulf Arab states. He basically helped lead the cover-up for [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman]. Get him in from the cold after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.”
Rhodes said Kushner securing a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months after leaving the White House is a way for Crown Prince Mohammed to exert influence on U.S. foreign policy if Trump returns to the Oval Office after the November election.
“Basically, what we can take from that investment is that in a second Trump term, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and around the world will be made entirely with the interests of Mohammed bin Salman in mind,” Rhodes said.
Kushner oversaw Middle East policy during his time in the Trump administration. The investment was scrutinized after the Times reported in 2022 that the Saudi sovereign’s advisory panel was opposed to giving funds to Kushner’s firm, noting his “inexperience,” but the decision was reversed by a bigger board headed by the crown prince.
R&I – TP
KnockknockitstheFBI