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6d ago

White House Defends Kushner’s Middle East Role as Conflict-of-Interest Questions Intensify

Critics say his Gulf-backed fund creates an ethics conflict with his informal Middle East advisory role.

Karoline Leavitt and Jared Kushner.
Jared Kushner; Jen Psaki.
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Overview

  • Press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected concerns at a Wednesday briefing, saying Jared Kushner is donating his time to help craft a 20-point peace proposal praised by Israel, Arab partners and European leaders.
  • A New York Times reporter questioned why Kushner is involved on issues touching Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia given that those countries have steered more than $2.5 billion to his firm, Affinity Partners.
  • Reuters reporting cited a May filing showing Affinity’s assets under management rose 60% in 2024 to $4.8 billion after new investments from Middle East sources, including Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
  • The Senate Finance Committee’s 2024 probe said Affinity collected up to $157 million in fees from foreign clients, including $87 million linked to Saudi Arabia, and reported no returns as of July 2024.
  • Jen Psaki criticized the White House defense and pointed to reports that Affinity partnered with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund on a $55 billion Electronic Arts buyout, highlighting ongoing concerns about overlapping business and policy interests.