According to Reuters, a US House committee announced on Thursday, June 2, 2022 that it is considering a $ 2 billion investment by the Saudi government in a company owned by Jared Kouchner, the son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump.
“The committee is also examining whether Mr. Kouchner’s personal financial interests have had a negative impact on US foreign policy in the Middle East under the Trump administration,” said Carolyn Maloney, a Democratic chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Meanwhile, there have been reports of “suspicious” relations between the former US president’s son-in-law and some rulers in the Middle East, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
According to the New York Times, Jared Kouchner had a special interest in the Gulf states during his tenure as White House adviser to the Trump administration, and that interest did not stop even after he left the White House.
As Trump’s favorite adviser, Jared Kouchner formed a personal friendship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Before playing a role in reconciling the Persian Gulf, he helped conclude peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and supported the UAE rulers in their dispute with Qatar.
Also, since her father-in-law, Donald Trump, lost the election, Kouchner has gained access to the region through a non-profit organization that supported the peace agreement he mediated.
In a move that angered diplomats, investors, and moral observers, Jared Kouchner sought to raise money from the Gulf states for a new venture he had created. The success of his efforts has been limited.
According to the American newspaper, a person familiar with the issue, while the main government funds in the UAE refused to invest in his company, because the rulers of the UAE considered Kouchner as an ally, but expressed doubts about his business case. .
According to two of them, the Saudi Public Investment Fund was in talks with Kouchner about a large investment in his new company.
However, his turn to independent fundraisers in the Middle East has raised questions about the ethics of raising funds from officials he dealt with from the US government until last January, especially given Trump’s possible candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
Jared Kouchner’s business experience is largely limited to the time he spends running his family real estate business.
His most famous deal was the purchase of 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for $ 1.8 billion in 2007, which created a financial crisis after the global recession that followed shortly after.
He also owned and published the New York Observer for ten years until his father-in-law became president.
Source: Lebanon Debate
