For many watchers of the Trump administration, a key figure who’s been getting more than his fair share of attention as of late has been the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kushner seemed to join the president’s administration on something of a whim after becoming one of New York City’s youngest commercial real estate players while still only in his mid-20s. In some ways, he’s stepped out of the frying pan of New York’s business world into the fire of the most elite circles of the world’s international relations stage. He’s met, negotiated and consorted with some of the world’s most powerful people, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Saudi Arabian King Salman.
Despite being only 36 years old, Kushner has been handed — and has accorded himself — levels of responsibility that in many cases have only been reserved for people twice his age. Some news outlets such as the New York Times have called Kushner Trump’s “shadow chief of staff,” complete with offices a few paces down the White House halls from Trump’s own.
Kushner is said to be a “policy sound board” and “option shaper” for the president, according to a number of sources.
Charges of nepotism and favoritism have emerged as it’s almost certain that if Kushner were not the president’s son-in-law, he would not be in nearly the position he’s been able to finagle himself into. Questions of qualifications and motivations have crossed the minds of more than a few journals’ editors, and recently, the focus on the Trump administration’s connections to the Russian government have shifted to questions about whether Kushner attempted to create a “back channel” to the Russian regime in December of last year before Trump took office.
According to some sources, Kushner may have asked the Russians if he could make use of their diplomatic facilities for communications to that government so as to avoid the possibility of being spied on by U.S. intelligence agencies. Hence, the FBI has declared Kushner a “person of interest” in its investigation into possible Trump administration collusion with Russia.
While a “back channel” to Russia in itself wouldn’t be illegal, the obvious question would be what the implications of using Russian infrastructure were for information coming from the American government. President Trump likely realizes this could be a source of trouble — if not prosecutions — for his administration if it was suggested that anything could be shared illegally — particularly sensitive or classified information.
“I have total confidence in him,” said President Trump when asked pointedly about Kushner by the media. Of course, this statement in itself could be interpreted as something less than total confidence coming from a man like Trump, who’s typically more forceful with his commentary, especially when talking about close friends and allies.
Is Trump willing to throw Kushner under a bus if investigations into Russian ties reveal more than he’s comfortable with? Certainly, Trump was willing to toss Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn overboard when the latter proved to have slightly more connections to Russia than he had initially let on.
Some prominent Democrats such as Senator Al Franken of Minnesota are calling on Trump to revoke Kushner’s security clearances, while the Democratic National Committee has called for Kushner’s termination. GQ magazine commentator Keith Olbermann went so far as to say that Kushner should be arrested on charges of espionage.
While Kushner and Trump would seem to have much in common — both are the scions of men who built their fortunes in New York-area real estate — they have a few fundamental differences. Trump has always been a front man, eager to give interviews to the press and seek out reporters and news publications to promote his latest ventures. Even though Trump’s father Fred was more reticent than Trump himself, his businesses were ostensibly on the up and up, whereas Kushner’s father is a convicted felon who’s been prosecuted for tax evasion, illegal campaign donations and witness tampering by none other than on-again, off-again Trump ally and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Both Kushners have shunned the spotlight far more than Trump in their business and real estate dealings, often going out of their way to keep relationships and deals confidential rather than trotting them out in the open for the world to see. Of course, since Jared Kushner married Ivanka Trump and took possession of New York City’s most expensive office building at 666 Fifth Avenue, much of that has changed, but the elder Kushner’s modus operandi should not be overlooked when considering his son’s potential transgressions.
Even though the business with Russia is said to be stressing Kushner out at the moment, for some lawmakers, both Kushners’ relationships with Chinese firms are attracting more attention. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has called for an investigation into the relationship between the Kushner Companies and a Chinese enterprise called Qiaowai, which has participated in a $1 billion Kushner real estate project in Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Whether Grassley’s push for an investigation will lead anywhere is an open question, but as Kushner’s profile within the Trump White House continues to rise, more scrutiny of this young man can certainly be expected.
Some critics say that Kushner’s self-assurance borders on conceit, and his sailing into previously uncharted territory such as international diplomacy is a trademark rather than exceptional behavior. Kushner has been known to be aloof with other members of the White House staff and is given to avoiding “messy” aspects of his job, such as dealing with specific legislators.
Some have accused him of disappearing at critical moments, such as when Trump’s first take on a new health care plan was getting beaten up in Congress. To fight these perceptions, Kushner claims that many Trump aides are not “looking out for the boss, but I am. My job is to put him in a good place,” he says. Kushner’s official title is “Director of the Office of American Innovation.”
Kushner was the planner of the recent Middle Eastern leg of President Trump’s first trip overseas. But Kushner was also one of the biggest proponents of firing former FBI Director James Comey, which Trump acceded to in early May. Kushner also reportedly overruled White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon regarding the April missile strike on the Syrian air base of Shayrat.
Kushner has also been overseeing efforts to overhaul the Veterans Administration (VA) with Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin and has been working on apprenticeship programs for young people as an alternative to standard four-year college degrees.
There are rumors of a deep split in the White House between those on the president’s staff who are loyal to Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump and those who favor Trump Chief Strategist Bannon, but these are likely the “fake news” makings of the mainstream media.
Still, if improprieties are discovered in Kushner’s talks with the Russians, it could be Bannon who’s left in the White House, rather than Kushner, according to insiders. Already, White House counsel Donald McGahn has advised Kushner to get a personal attorney to handle the Russian affair accusations rather than rely on him.
For now, it remains to be seen how the Russian business will play out, but this is not the first time Kushner — nor Trump — has faced a major scrape. It likely won’t be the last, either.
