Last week, when Jared Kushner stood at a lectern outside the West Wing to deliver a full-throated denial that he colluded with Russian officials during the presidential campaign, it appeared as though the administration’s princeling hoped to moved beyond the scandal engulfing the White House. But as special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe expands, Kushner’s business dealings have reportedly come under the microscope. According to The Wall Street Journal, New York federal prosecutors have issued a subpoena for Kushner Companies, the family real-estate business that Kushner ran until January, as part of an investigation into the company’s use of a controversial visa program that allows wealthy foreigners to obtain green cards in exchange for large investments in development projects.
Kushner Cos. has used the visa program to finance two developments in New Jersey, according to the Journal. Kushner still has a financial stake in both, despite having stepped down from his role at the company and placing a number of assets into a trust run by his family while he serves in the White House. The subpoena was delivered in May, the same month that Kushner Cos. came under fire for highlighting Kushner’s White House role to potential Chinese investors and showing a video in which President Trump appeared at events in China. Investors were reportedly told that they would be eligible for green cards under the EB-5 visa program in exchange for at least $500,000. Kushner’s sister Nicole Meyer, who spoke at the events, mentioned that her brother was no longer with the company, having left to join the White House a few months earlier. (An attorney for the company told the Journal that it “utilized the program, fully complied with its rules and regulations, and did nothing improper. We are cooperating with legal requests for information.”)
Following the criticism, Kushner Cos. released a statement in which it apologized “if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors. That was not Ms. Meyer’s intention.” The remainder of her appearances in China to promote the project and lure investors were canceled. At the time, Kushner’s attorney noted that his client would recuse himself from issues related to the EB-5 program. Months later, CNN reported that two businesses working with the Kushner family firm were still promoting Kushner and his status as a White House adviser in online pitches to investors. (A Kushner Companies spokesperson said the company was “not aware of these sites and has nothing to do with them. The company will be sending a cease-and-desist letter regarding the references to Jared Kushner.”)
The subpoena out of the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office, which reportedly demanded the company turn over e-mails, adds to the mounting scrutiny being placed on Kushner. In June, The Washington Post reported that Mueller was looking into Kushner’s business dealings as part of the F.B.I.’s broader investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Earlier this year, it came to light that Kushner had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice, and in December, Russian banker Sergey Gorkov, who has ties to the Kremlin. Both meetings took place as the Kushner family sought financing for its 666 Fifth Avenue property. Neither of these meetings, nor about 100 such sit-downs with foreign officials that took place throughout the campaign and transition, were on Kushner’s initial security clearance form, which he has said was an error made by his assistant. He has since updated the form three times.
Last week, Kushner made two trips to Capitol Hill—first to answer questions from Senate staffers and then to testify before a congressional intelligence committee. In advance of the closed-door hearing, he released an 11-page preview of his testimony, in which he attempted to explain his meetings with Russians and exonerate himself. “I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government,” he wrote. “I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector. I have tried to be fully transparent with regard to the filing of my SF-86 form, above and beyond what is required.”Overall, lawmakers were pleased with Kushner’s willingness to answer questions, and praised his transparency. Congressman Adam Schiff, though, said many questions still remain.