Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden launched a probe Wednesday of an investment firm run by former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, saying the vast amount of foreign funding raises the risk that Saudi interests and Gulf states will curry favor with politically connected persons who may return to power in Washington.
Mr. Wyden, Oregon Democrat, alleged the structure of the payments to Affinity Partners shields them from public scrutiny and may be an end-run around the Foreign Agents Registration Act and its rules around foreign payments.
“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,” Mr. Wyden said.
The powerful Democrat launched a probe on the heels of President Biden’s son, Hunter, being convicted in Delaware of three federal gun crimes.
Some Republicans say the trial obscured larger questions about Hunter Biden’s work to trade off his famous father’s name through businesses such as Seneca Global Advisors, which claimed to help companies expand into foreign markets. Hunter Biden’s foreign deals are also central to House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden, though the probe has largely stalled.
House investigators say Hunter Biden and his partners used shell companies to obscure the foreign money and the investments appeared to be an attempt to influence the elder Mr. Biden, who served as vice president from 2009 to 2017.
Mr. Kushner’s firm, meanwhile, has made more than $1 billion in investments, mostly abroad, including in Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Europe. The companies range from car-leasing businesses to food companies in the Middle East to a $500 million hotel and condominium complex in Serbia.
Mr. Kushner has said he follows the law and will make plenty of money for investors. He’s also downplayed the idea he is eager to return to the White House after serving as an adviser in the Trump White House.
Democrats such as Mr. Wyden say the firm, which received 99% of its money from foreign sources, is fraught with potential conflicts of interest as Mr. Trump plots his return to the Oval Office.
“This series of events creates an appearance that Affinity’s investors are motivated not by commercial interests of seeking a return on investment, but rather by strategic considerations of foreign nationals seeking to funnel money to U.S. individuals with personal connections to former President Trump,” Mr. Wyden wrote to Affinity Partners Chief Financial Officer Lauren Key.
Mr. Wyden requested an exhaustive list of information by June 26, including a list of Affinity employees and investors since 2021, communications with foreign entities and details on investment values, compensation and fees.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.