Jared Kushner: Lawbreaker Or Innocent?

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. Watchdog groups and legal experts have accused him of violating the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act by failing to keep records of meetings with foreign officials. Kushner has also been criticised for his use of private email addresses and alleged violations of the Hatch Act, which prevents officials from engaging in certain political activities. In addition, there have been questions surrounding Kushner's business dealings and potential conflicts of interest, including a $2 billion investment from a Saudi government-backed fund. While some of these actions may not be illegal, they have sparked concerns about transparency, ethics, and the potential influence of personal interests on US foreign policy.

Kushner's involvement in Trump's second-term campaign

Jared Kushner was a key figure in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was at one point seen as its de facto campaign manager. He was the architect of Trump's digital, online, and social media campaigns, enlisting talent from Silicon Valley to run a 100-person social-media team called "Project Alamo". Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's top advertising executive during the 2016 campaign cycle, called it the “single best digital ad campaign I’ve ever seen from any advertiser.”.

Kushner also helped as a speechwriter and was tasked with working to establish a plan for Trump's White House transition team. He was intimately involved with campaign strategy, coordinating Trump's visit to Mexico in late August 2016, and is believed to be responsible for the choice of Mike Pence as Trump's running mate. Kushner's role in the 2016 election was described by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as its "biggest surprise".

Kushner was also involved in Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) named Kushner as one of 13 senior Trump administration officials who violated the Hatch Act, which is meant to prevent officials from getting involved in political activities that might affect the outcome of an election. The OSC's findings, published on November 9, 2021, said that "senior Trump administration officials chose to use their official authority not for the legitimate functions of the government but to promote the reelection of President Trump in violation of the law."

Kushner's use of private email

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior White House adviser, has been accused of breaking the law by failing to keep records of his meetings with foreign government officials. In a lawsuit filed against Trump and the executive office of the president, watchdog groups alleged that Kushner and other White House officials violated the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act by not creating or keeping records of meetings with foreign officials.

In addition to these allegations, it was revealed in 2017 that Kushner used a private email account to communicate with other administration officials about White House matters. This was particularly controversial because Trump had criticised his political rival, Hillary Clinton, for her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state. Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, stated that Kushner used his private email address alongside his official White House email address and that any non-personal emails had been forwarded to his official account and preserved. Lowell also claimed that the emails from Kushner's private account usually forwarded news articles or political commentary and often occurred when someone sent an email to his personal address rather than his White House address.

The use of personal email to discuss government business is a politically sensitive issue. While it was reported that Kushner's private email was not used to handle classified or sensitive materials, it raised questions about the potential for emails to be retroactively declared secret and the proper archiving of records.

Kushner's meetings with foreign officials

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, has faced scrutiny for his meetings with foreign officials, particularly those from Russia and Saudi Arabia.

During the transition to the White House, Kushner met with Russian officials, including the former ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, and Sergey Gorkov, the chief executive of a state-run Russian bank under federal sanctions. Kushner's presence at the Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer in 2016 has also been a focal point of investigation. These meetings have fuelled accusations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Kushner has denied any collusion and stated that Trump designated him as a point of contact for foreign contacts during the transition.

Kushner has also been accused of failing to keep records of meetings with foreign government officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and top Saudi officials. A lawsuit filed by watchdog groups, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), alleges that Kushner and Trump violated the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act by not creating or keeping records of these meetings.

In addition, Kushner faced criticism for omitting numerous transition-period meetings with foreign officials, including allies of Vladimir Putin, from an FBI questionnaire during his application process for top-secret security clearance. House Democrats, led by Rep. Don Beyer, requested that the FBI and the Office of Personnel Management suspend Kushner's security clearance, questioning his judgment and calling for transparency regarding these meetings.

Kushner's role in the Trump administration

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, served as a senior advisor to the former president from 2017 to 2021. Kushner's role in the Trump administration has been described as "unusual" and "influential". He was tasked with brokering peace in the Middle East, building a border wall, reforming the criminal justice system, pursuing diplomacy with China and Mexico, and creating the Office of American Innovation. Kushner was also in charge of Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, overseeing fundraising, strategy, and advertising.

Kushner was an architect of the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill that was signed into law in 2018. He also played a role in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement and helped negotiate a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico. Kushner's involvement in the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab countries, was significant. He also helped broker the sale of over $100 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Kushner has been accused of conflicts of interest and nepotism during his time in the Trump administration. He retained ownership of businesses while serving as a senior advisor, and his appointment as senior advisor was questioned due to a 1967 anti-nepotism law. Kushner has also been accused of violating the Hatch Act, which prevents officials from engaging in political activities that could affect election outcomes.

Kushner's contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 election came under scrutiny, and he has been accused of failing to keep records of meetings with foreign government officials, including Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.

Kushner's alleged bribery

Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of bribery and corruption. In 2022, it was revealed that a Saudi-government-backed wealth fund had invested $2 billion in Kushner's venture capital outfit, Affinity Partners. This was despite Kushner having zero experience in his chosen new field and charging excessive fees. The investment came from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, with whom Kushner had a close relationship during his time in the White House.

Kushner's firm received funds from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, as well as investments from Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The investment from the Saudi government has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and payback for Kushner's time in the White House. The House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into whether Kushner traded on his government position to secure the deal.

Kushner has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that his deals are not connected to Trump. However, critics argue that the investment from the Saudi government creates the appearance of a bribe or an attempt to curry favour with the Trump family. Kushner's close relationship with Mohammed Bin Salman has also come under scrutiny, particularly in relation to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In addition to the allegations of bribery, Kushner has also been accused of breaking the law by failing to keep records of meetings with foreign officials during his time in the Trump administration. Watchdog groups have filed a lawsuit accusing Kushner and Trump of violating the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act by not creating or keeping records of meetings with foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

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