Former Obama deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said he was President Trump’s son-in-law. Jared Kushner engaged in a “level of corruption we’ve never seen” when talking about his company’s recent overseas investments.
Rhodes said Kushner engaged in corruption when asked about the recent New York Times article that said 99 percent of the money in his investment fund came from foreign sources. The outlet also reported that Kushner was working on developing hotels in the Balkans, including Serbia and Albania, and noted that the company had received money from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“I mean, look, it’s not subtle corruption that we’re looking at,” Rhodes told MSNBC. Alex Wagner during his Wednesday appearance on “Alex Wagner Tonight.”
“This is a guy, Jared Kushner, who had no expertise, no qualifications to serve in the White House while he was there. He made it a point to work in the Arab Gulf states. He basically helped cover up the affair (the Saudi crown prince) Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud). Get him out of 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 was a way for Salman to exert influence over U.S. foreign policy if Trump returns to the Oval Office after the election of November.
“Fundamentally, what we can take away from this investment is that in a second Trump term, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and around the world will be crafted entirely with Mohammed’s interests in mind bin Salman,” Rhodes said.
Kushner oversaw Middle East policy during his tenure in the Trump administration. The investment came under scrutiny after the Times reported in 2022 that the Saudi ruler’s advisory committee favored providing funds to Kushner’s company, citing his “inexperience,” but the decision was overturned by a broader board of directors headed by Salman.
“He chose to work on Middle East issues and he chose to work with the Arab Gulf states, knowing that the payments would be made at the end of the day,” Rhodes said, pointing to the president’s impeachment inquiry Biden led by House Republicans. who alleges that his son, Hunter, used access to his father for financial gain.
“And here we have the president’s son-in-law, who worked in the White House – unlike Hunter Biden – who raised $2 billion at the end of his service. Now his father-in-law is running for president,” Rhodes said. “Right? This is not only unusual, it’s unprecedented.
Kushner defended himself and his company’s actions regarding conflict of interest allegations when asked by the Times.
“Following laws and rules is something we always do,” he told the outlet. “Perception, I learned this through my time in politics, is important. But I can’t control what everyone will write or say about me.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (Republican of Kentucky) said last August that Kushner had “crossed the line of ethics” by accepting a $2 billion investment.
“It just puts a price on American foreign policy,” Rhodes said. “This is a level of corruption we have never seen, and it is hiding in plain sight. »
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