Charles Kushner Speaks Out On Investigation, Jared's White House Role
Real estate patriarch Charles Kushner broke his silence by confidently defending his company and his son, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
In his first public comments since the younger Kushner helped Donald Trump get elected president, Charles Kushner spoke to the Washington Post in an interview conducted at Kushner Cos.' headquarters in the embattled 666 Fifth Ave. office tower.
He declined to comment on his plans for the building, but Kushner did claim that deals with Qatari and Chinese financiers fell through because Kushner Cos. pulled out to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.
Regarding such conflicts, like potential EB-5 program abuses and a financing deal with Deutsche Bank that is under congressional investigation, Kushner maintained the company did nothing wrong.
"All I know is that we are not at all concerned, and we are cooperating," Kushner told the Post. "And they can knock themselves out for the next 10 years reading those papers as far as I'm concerned."
Kushner additionally said Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office had not contacted his company in relation to his investigation of ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.
Though Charles Kushner said he and his eldest son still speak weekly, representatives of Kushner Cos. told the Post that the two are abiding by an ethics agreement not to involve Jared, who holds one of the top positions in the executive branch, in any discussions about the family business.
As for government work, Charles gave his son a vote of confidence — and a nod to media criticism of Jared that borrows from the vernacular of the president.
"I try not to focus in my life on the haters but it's just, I have never seen anything like this," Kushner told the Post regarding his son.
Kushner said his parental teachings prepared Jared for such massive responsibilities as the Middle East conflict and predicted that, with his son in charge of the White House's role in one of the globe's most complex diplomatic situations, the impact on the world could be dramatic.
The elder Kushner has no official title at his namesake company, but he is reportedly still guiding decision-making while Jared is at the White House.
