Jared Kushner Trying To Raise Investment Money From Gulf Countries

Former Trump White House adviser Jared Kushner is trying to raise money from the countries of the Persian Gulf for the investment firm he has founded, with only mixed success. Qatar and the main Emirati sovereign wealth funds have declined to invest in the firm, called Affinity Partners,  and Saudi  Arabia’s $450 billion Public Investment Fund is negotiating with Kushner, the New York Times reported. Kushner hopes to raise an amount in the low billions of dollars by early next year, according to the report.

Kushner’s attempts to raise money from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds have raised questions about the ethics of seeking to raise large sums from officials he had dealt with on behalf of the US government as recently as January, according to the report, which notes the possibility that Trump, who is Kushner’s father-in-law, will run for president in 2024.

Kushner is not the only former Trump official to have made deals with the Gulf nations since the end of the administration less than a year ago, according to the Times. Steven Mnuchin, who served as Trump’s Treasury Secretary, has received investments from the Saudis, the Emiratis and the Qataris, according to the report citing unnamed sources.

He, who has told associates that he has no desire to re-enter politics, has started the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace, a nonprofit organization working to expand trade ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.