Jared Kushner's Times Building Purchase Subject Of Russian Investigation Scrutiny
As investigations into Donald Trump's White House and business dealings widen, Jared Kushner's own business connections to Russia are coming under scrutiny as well.
As special prosecutor Robert Mueller and Congress both continue to search for ties between the Trumps, Kushner and Russia, Kushner's acquisition of a commercial condo in the New York Times building has become one of many targets. In 2015, Kushner and his family business, Kushner Cos., bought a portion of the building from Russian real estate billionaire Lev Leviev for $295M, The Guardian reports.
The transaction first came up due to the $285M Kushner borrowed from Deutsche Bank to complete the transaction. Deutsche Bank and two companies tied to Leviev, Africa Israel Investments and Prevezon, have all recently been the subject of money laundering investigations.
A laundering case against Prevezon led by then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara abruptly ended in May, two months after Trump fired Bharara, with a $6M settlement that raised eyebrows. Multiple members of Congress have called for another look at the Prevezon case, and with both Kushner and the Trump family remaining involved in the real estate business as they sit in the White House, deals such as the 2015 Times building acquisition will continue to be the subject of government inquiry.
