- Written by Bernd Debsmann Jr.
- BBC News, Washington
image source, Getty Images
Jared Kushner worked closely with Saudi Arabia during his tenure as an adviser to Donald Trump.
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and former adviser, defended his business dealings with Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
After leaving the White House, Mr Kushner's private equity firm received a $2bn (£1.59bn) investment from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
Kushner worked closely with Saudi Arabia on many issues during the Trump administration.
He denied that the investment was a conflict of interest.
Prince Mohammed is credited with overseeing fundamental economic and social reforms in Saudi Arabia. He has also been accused of cracking down on dissent, with U.S. intelligence agencies saying they believe he ordered the killing of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a charge the crown prince denies. are doing.
The Saudi investment in Mr. Kushner's company, Affinity Partners, was made after Mr. Kushner left the White House. But experts have previously raised ethical questions about the deal, citing previous deals with Saudi Arabia and the former president's veto of a bill banning arms sales to Saudi Arabia during the war in Yemen. Ta.
Speaking at a Miami summit hosted by US news agency Axios on Tuesday, Kushner rejected any suggestion that Saudi Arabia's investment in his company was unethical.
“When my critics ask me about the work we did in the White House, I point out that the decisions we made were not in the interest of the United States. “Let's do it,” he said.
He cited the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which has invested in companies such as Uber and Microsoft, as one of the world's most prestigious investors.
Kushner was also asked about the killing of Khashoggi and a declassified U.S. intelligence report that said Prince Mohammed approved the operation to kill him at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Rejected by Saudi Arabia.
Kushner initially pushed back at the question, asking, “Are we really still doing this?”
“I understand why people are upset about that,” he added.
“I think what happened there was really horrible. But again, our job was to represent America and try to move American things forward.”
He said he had not seen any intelligence reports regarding the prince's alleged involvement in the murder.
“I know the guy I dealt with, and I think he's a visionary leader. I think his work in that region has been transformational,” Kushner said.
Looking to the future, Kushner said he has no interest in returning to the White House if Trump wins November's presidential election.
Trump is likely to become the standard-bearer for the Republican Party in the race against Democrat Joe Biden.
“It was clear to me that my desire at this stage in my life was to focus on my company,” Kushner said. “We really enjoyed the opportunity to step out of the spotlight as a family.”
