Democrats are upping their focus on Jared Kushner, heavily scrutinizing former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law as Republicans have repeatedly spotlighted Hunter Biden and the business deals of the president’s family members.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) sent a letter Tuesday asking leading Republicans on the committee to hold a hearing in light of new reporting on Kushner seeking overseas business deals as Trump looks to take back the White House.
“This Committee cannot claim to be ‘investigating foreign nationals’ attempts to target and coerce high-ranking U.S. officials’ family members by providing money or other benefits in exchange for certain actions while continuing to ignore these matters,” the two Democrats wrote in the letter to Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), who chairs a subcommittee of the panel. POLITICO exclusively obtained a copy of the letter ahead of its release.
“We therefore urge you to work with us to finally investigate Mr. Kushner’s receipt of billions of dollars from foreign governments in deals that appear to be quid pro quos for actions he undertook as senior White House adviser in Donald Trump’s Administration,” they added.
Democrats, in their letter, noted Comer has previously indicated that Republicans would also have questions for Trump’s family members, including Kushner. And Comer has said that legislation he is drafting on ethics and financial disclosure rules — something he said he planned to unveil at the conclusion of the GOP’s sweeping impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden — would also apply to Trump and his family if he wins the White House in November.
But it’s unlikely that Republicans will agree to Democrats’ request to probe Kushner’s deals, after batting down other efforts by the party to use the GOP-controlled committee to investigate Kushner. A GOP Oversight Committee spokesperson indicated as much in a statement to POLITICO.
“Unlike the Bidens, Jared Kushner has a legitimate business and has a career as a business executive that predates Donald Trump’s political career. Democrats’ latest letter is part of their playbook to shield President Biden from oversight. The House Oversight Committee will continue to investigate President Biden’s abuse of public office and hold the Bidens accountable for their corruption,” the spokesperson said.
Still, the growing focus on Kushner’s business deals could be a sign of a potential investigative avenue Democrats will take next year if they flip the House in November.
Democrats have tried multiple times to get Republicans to greenlight subpoenas related to Kushner, which GOP lawmakers have pushed aside or ignored. Hunter Biden also raised Kushner during his closed-door deposition with the committee, and his legal team, in declining a public hearing with the committee, said Hunter Biden would appear if Comer called a hearing with Kushner.