Internet divided as Senate Democrats initiate probe into Jared Kushner's firm over foreign payments

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Democrats launched an investigation into former President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, concerning overseas payments received by his investment company Affinity Partners.

In a letter to Affinity Partners on Wednesday, June 12, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden demanded details of the firm's investors, including a $2 billion fund from the Saudi Arabian government's Public Investment Fund in 2021 soon after its launch, according to HuffPost.

Kushner, who was a senior adviser to Trump during his presidency, played an important role in the previous administration's positive approach toward Saudi Arabia.

Senate Democrats question Affinity Partners' investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and other foreign funds

"Mr Kushner's limited track record as an investor, including his nonexistent experience in private equity or hedge funds, raise questions regarding the investment strategy behind the seeding investments and lucrative compensation that Affinity received from the Saudi PIF and other sovereign wealth funds," wrote Sen Wyden in his letter to the firm.

The Democrat further raised concerns about the $2 billion investment Affinity received from Saudi PIF soon after Kushner left the Trump White House. He claimed the investment could be a reward for helping Saudi Arabia remain unaccountable for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's 2018 murder.

"It is deeply concerning that several Middle Eastern governments are using funds managed by Affinity as a means to pay tens of millions of dollars in fees every year to former President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, creating significant conflicts of interest and potential counterintelligence risks," further wrote the senior senator from Oregon. 

Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump supposedly kept close contact with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman even after he was accused of being involved in the assassination of Khashoggi.

Wyden also demanded Affinity Partners to provide details about its seeding investments, funds from the firm, the fees it received, and the amount Kushner was paid.

In April, The New York Times reported that Affinity Partners' 99% of assets came from non-US people or entities. Aside from Saudi Arabia, the firm is said to have received payments from sovereign wealth funds handled by the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as well as Taiwanese billionaire and politician Terry Gou. 

Kushner's business activities have been scrutinized by Democrats for years. Even House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a staunch supporter of Trump, said that he thought the former president's son-in-law "crossed the line of ethics" in his deal with Saudi Arabia. 

Internet reacts to Senate Democrats launching probe into Jared Kushner's investment firm

One wrote, "Wax man will now face the proverbial fire. It's going to take years to bring this crime family down and all the other clowns hanging around."

Another argued, "Democrats doing what democrats do !!! Blame other on what they are actually doing." 

A person fumed, "It’s about freaking time! This better not be just a cursory overview resulting in 'We can’t find anything.' If John Q. Public can see that something about Jared and Ivanka’s financial shenanigans smells like a 3-day old dead fish on a hot rock, then THE INVESTIGATORS BETTER!"

"Wow. Crazy. Democrats investigating someone related to Trump. Wooow. Who. Would. Have. Guessed," wrote someone else, while another person echoed, "Long overdue, but I have doubts this will go anywhere. For crying out loud, a foreign country doesn't give someone billions for no reason."

An individual remarked, "Good! Javanka thought they could run away, lie low, and hope that everyone would forget about their little financial scheme."

"Tell us that Dems don't understand how Private Equity works without telling us etc," offered one more. 

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