As news emerged that Jared Kushner—Donald Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser—received a $2 billion investment from a fund led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman not long after leaving the White House, many on Twitter have raised their eyebrows.
"After leaving the White House, Jared Kushner cashes in on being 'foreign policy adviser' to his father-in-law with a $2 billion investment from a fund led by the Saudi crown prince," Berkeley professor Robert Reich wrote on Twitter.
"Who wants to talk more about Hunter Biden's lap top?"
After leaving the White House, Jared Kushner cashes in on being "foreign policy adviser" to his father-in-law with a $2 billion investment from a fund led by the Saudi crown prince.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) April 11, 2022
Who wants to talk more about Hunter Biden’s lap top?
"The next time somebody asks you about Hunter Biden getting $3 million from Russia, Ukraine or China, ask them what they think about Jared and Ivanka getting a billion…," tweeted talk show host Thom Hartmann.
Hunter Biden, the second son of President Joe Biden and his wife Neilia, has been under fire since an article in the New York Post in October 2020 accused him of being involved in lucrative foreign investments which compromised his father's position as a presidential candidate.
According to the newspaper, material found on a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden—which a non-identified person had left at a shop for repair in 2019—suggested the then-vice president's son had used his father's political stature to obtain investments and favors.
The authenticity of the claim was doubted at the time, but the "laptop from hell" became part of Trump's presidential campaign discourse. Hunter Biden's laptop made the headlines again recently, as the material was authenticated and the New York Times confirmed the president's son is currently under investigation for his business dealings.
But if Hunter Biden's laptop story got so much media attention and sparked such vocal outrage among Trump supporters, the same indignation and the same scrutiny should be applied to Kushner's dealings with the Saudi crown prince, social media users say.
"Seems like, maybe, the press should be paying less attention to the million-dollar financial deals of Hunter Biden... than the Billion-dollar financial deals of #Jared & #Ivanka," wrote author Jonah Blank on Twitter.
"$2 billion. And Kushner worked in the Trump regime on determining US foreign policy. But let's talk more about Hunter Biden's lap top," tweeted LGBT activist Amy Siskind.
Six months after leaving the White House, Jared Kushner secured a $2 billion investment from a fund led by the Saudi crown prince.
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) April 11, 2022
$2 billion. And Kushner worked in the Trump regime on determining US foreign policy. But let’s talk more about Hunter Biden’s lap top 🤦🏻♀️
Kushner's newly-established private equity firm Affinity Partners received the investment from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund—Public Investment Fund—despite concerns and opposition from the fund's advisers, according to the New York Times.
Citing previously undisclosed documents from the panel of advisers, the newspaper says they were worried about Kushner's inexperience in fund management, "unsatisfactory" operations and "public relation risks," among others concerns.
The crown prince—Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler—reportedly overruled the panel and made the deal with Kushner's firm. In return for its $2 billion investment, the Saudi fund would get a stake of at least 28 percent of Kushner's Affinity Partners, according to documents obtained by the New York Times.
The relationship between the crown prince and Kushner goes back to the years when Kushner was at the White House, starting from 2016, when the two first met. According to the New York Times, Kushner and the crown prince are on first-name terms.
After the brutal killing in 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi rulers, Kushner had a series of one-on-one meetings with the crown prince, who at the time was already rumored to be responsible for the reporter's murder. In 2021, U.S. intelligence concluded that the crown prince was to be held responsible for Khashoggi's capture and killing.
Kushner and the crown prince have recently met again in person during Kushner's tour of the Persian Gulf region, as media reported in early February.
Concerns have been raised about the close relationship between Kushner and the crown prince since the times of Trump administration, and some fear the consequences of this new investment, especially as Trump is still considered a candidate for the 2024 presidential campaign.
Newsweek has reached out to Jared Kushner, Hunter Biden's lawyer and Saudi Public Investment Fund for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
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