Jared Kushner Faces Calls for Special Counsel Probe Into Saudi Ties

Democratic lawmakers are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint a special counsel to investigate Jared Kushner’s connections to Saudi Arabia.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin accused Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior White House adviser of acting as an “unregistered foreign agent” by lobbying on behalf of the Saudi kingdom. Newsweek has contacted the DOJ and Kushner’s legal team for comment via email.

Kushner, who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, has long faced criticism from Democratic figures regarding a $2 billion investment secured by his private equity fund, Affinity Partners. This funding from a Saudi Arabian fund led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was received six months after Kushner left his White House position in January 2021.

Chad Mizelle, chief legal officer at Affinity Partners, told Reuters the request for a special counsel investigation just over a week from the 2024 election was a “disgraceful attempt by Wyden and Raskin to turn an already weaponized DOJ into a fully political operation with accusations that have no merit or evidence.” Kushner also dismissed the letter as “silly political stunts,” adding that “there is no conflict of interest.”

In their letter, Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Raskin, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said that Kushner has acted as a “shadow diplomat and political adviser” to Prince Mohammed.

They added that Kushner has lobbied on behalf of the prince after the Saudi Public Investment Fund (Saudi PIF) paid $87 million to Affinity Partners since June 2021.

The lawmakers said that Kushner may have violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a federal law requiring agents of foreign interests who engage in political activities to register their relationships with the DOJ.

“While on the Saudi government’s payroll, Mr. Kushner is simultaneously serving as a political consultant to former President Trump and acting as a shadow diplomat and political adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other foreign principals,” Wyden and Raskin wrote.

“Despite being engaged in plainly political activities, Mr. Kushner has not made FARA disclosures to DOJ related to the millions of dollars he is paid annually by entities owned and controlled by the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

“The scale of these undisclosed foreign payments to Mr. Kushner coupled with the national security implications of his apparent ongoing efforts to sell political influence to the highest foreign bidder are unprecedented and demand action from the DOJ,” Wyden and Raskin added.

Their letter references an October 4 report from Reuters, citing an unnamed source, alleging that Kushner has engaged in diplomatic negotiations concerning Israel with Prince Mohammed multiple times since leaving the Trump White House in January 2021.

The letter also notes that Affinity Partners has already collected $157.5 million in management fees from foreign investors for work expected to be completed in 2024, including $87 million from the Saudi PIF. Affinity Partners are said to be collecting an additional $90 million in management fees from foreign investors from now until August 2026, $50 million of which will come from Saudi PIF.

“There is substantial reason to believe that the Saudi government’s decision to engage Affinity for investment advice is a fig leaf for funneling money directly to Mr. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump,” the letter adds.

Kushner described the lawmakers’ letter as “beneath the level of seriousness that both of their chambers deserve” in a statement to Reuters and The Hill.

Kushner added: “During Trump’s four years in office, every decision he made was through the lens of what’s in the best interest of America. When reelected, he’ll do the same.”

Formerly serving as Trump’s White House Middle East adviser, Kushner said he will not hold a position in a second Trump administration, should the Republican return to the White House next year.

Recently, Kushner told The Wall Street Journal that he still maintains an informal advisory role for his father-in-law, expressing his intention to “fully help and advise” Trump and his team.

In February, Kushner defended the $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia shortly after leaving the White House, dismissing the notion that it constituted a conflict of interest.

“If you ask me about the work that we did in the White House, for my critics, I say point to a single decision we made that wasn’t in the interest of America,” Kushner told the Axios BFD summit in Miami, Florida.