Monday, January 9, 2017

[Updated] East Village landlord Jared Kushner's path to the White House


This past weekend, The New York Times took a deep dive on Jared Kushner, President-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law, as he continues to play a key role in the new administration.

The Page 1 piece shows the web of potential conflicts of interest that Kushner could face in Trump's administration. The article centers on a celebratory dinner on Nov. 16 in a private dining room at the Waldorf Astoria. Kushner was close to a joint-venture agreement with Wu Xiaohui, the chairman of Anbang Insurance Group, to help redevelop the Kushner-owned 666 Fifth Ave.

As the Times noted, the byzantine ownership structure of Anbang, which has close ties to the Chinese state, "has seen its aggressive efforts to buy up hotels in the United States slowed amid concerns raised by Obama administration officials who review foreign investments for national security risk."

Per the Times:

[W]ith Mr. Kushner laying the groundwork for his own White House role, the meeting at the Waldorf shines a light on his family’s multibillion-dollar business, Kushner Companies, and on the ethical thicket he would have to navigate while advising his father-in-law on policy that could affect his bottom line.

And...

Matthew T. Sanderson, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale and former general counsel to Senator Rand Paul’s presidential campaign, said deals like the one with Anbang “might not be illegal under the conflict-of-interest rules, but raise a strong appearance that a foreign entity is using Mr. Kushner’s business to try to influence U.S. policy.”

The article also notes that Kushner will resign as chief executive of Kushner Companies.

Starting in 2013, Kushner has bought 40-plus buildings in the East Village. According to the Cooper Square Committee, only Steve Croman owns more residential buildings in the East Village than Kushner does.

Under Kushner's ownership, tenants have accused his management company, among other things, of aggressive tactics to remove rent-stabilized residents ... while failing to provide gas for cooking and heat.

Updated 8:14 p.m.

Kushner will be named senior adviser to the president, CNN reports.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Report: Jared Kushner buys $130 million portfolio of East Village rental buildings

Soon, we will all be writing our rent checks to Jared Kushner

Tenants claim: Kushner and Westminster want to destroy this building's beautiful garden

Reports outline how Kushner Companies is aggressively trying to empty 170-174 E. 2nd St.

Local politicos join residents of 2 Jared Kushner-owned buildings to speak out about poor living conditions, alleged harassment

Jared Kushner's residents at 118 E. 4th St. would like gas for cooking and some heat

Jared Kushner's East Village tenants wish he'd resolve issues closer to home

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Read the Yelp reviews of Kushner's management company, Westminster. You don't find a management company like that by accident.

Giovanni said...

Pride goeth before re the fall. Jared Kushner may not know it yet but he is Trump's insurance policy -- he's the guy who will take the fall in order to protect the Trump brand name and to prevent the Trump kids from being prosecuted when things go bad. Trump has him convinced he is some kind of political boy genius. No one in Trump's camp thought he was going to win, but Kushner is quoted saying he had some secret computer program that showed Trump getting over 300 electoral votes and that he predicted the whole thing. This is a guy who didn't even have the grades to get into NYU and Harvard, so his father had to donate millions to get him in. Now he's telling people that Trump really didn't really believe all those anti-Obama birther conspiracy theories that he spent five years spouting about? What a total fraud.

Gojira said...

"Ethics" is a four-letter word to the Trump and Kushner clans. We won't be seeing many, if any of them, in the next four years (please dear God, not eight).

Anonymous said...

This is not 'potential conflict of interest', it is 'conflict of interest'. Don't know why we're so afraid to call it like it is with these people.

Anonymous said...

666 Fifth Avenue. I mean how much more clearly do you people need this to be spelled out???

Anonymous said...

Jared is the USA's biggest pimp and our city will spread for more Russian and Chinese money. Meanwhile a Republican leg Senate and House will not cross Trump in fear he make make them pee their collective pants. On the home front don't expect our "socialist" mayor to stand up against anyone in the real-estate industry. Is it time to start the revolution yet?

Anonymous said...

What a world. One day your cheap-ass landlord is shutting off your heat trying to harass you out of your apartment just so he can jack up the rent a couple hundred bucks a month, the next day that same guy becomes the de facto President of the United States.

Gojira said...

QED re the scarcity of ethics among these thugs:

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/us/politics/donald-trump-transition.html?emc=edit_na_20170109&nlid=34512503&ref=cta

Gojira said...

Anonymous Gojira? There's a new one! Supposed to be just Gojira, sorry -

Bahnasi said...

A history book already written, we do not have the wisdom, or intellect to change the future. Let Kushner, eat his cake, while he can, the future of his people, as he knows, will be...

Anonymous said...

"He's a Republican." That's their mantra.

The problem is there are too many dumbasses in Ohio and now MI, WI, PA, IA, and ME2 who will give him a pass.

All of us should simply boycott ALL Trump states: don't visit or buy things from them. The travel boycott is easy considering PA is the only Trump state on the East Coast above North Carolina and it's easy to avoid Maine's second congressional district (Trump outpost.)

Consider NY a country within a country and live your life.

cmarrtyy said...

JKush is just another abuser in a long list of abusers Trump has picked as his staff/cabinet. These are people who will abuse anybody/anything to get what they want within or outside the law. And look who's JKush's best friend Mayor DeB. God id he desperate.

Shawn said...

Federal law prohibits his appointment so I'm not sure how this is going to work...

Anonymous said...

In a sane world, Shawn. This is Trump's Upside Down "Great" America so anything that enriches those folks is a-okay, or so it seems.

Anonymous said...

Federal Law may prohibit him from a Federal Agency but the White House is not an agency. If he has a calming affect I see that as plus for the next four years...