A US House of Representatives committee said on Thursday that it was investigating the Saudi Arabian government's $2 billion investment with Affinity, a firm of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
"The Committee on Oversight and Reform is investigating whether you (Kushner) have improperly traded on your government position to obtain billions of dollars from the Saudi government and whether your personal financial interests improperly influenced US foreign policy during the administration of your father-in-law, former President Trump," Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who leads the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said in a letter.
"Your support for Saudi interests was unwavering, even as Congress and the rest of the world closely scrutinized the country’s human rights abuses in Yemen, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi assassins tied to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on political dissidents at home," Maloney wrote, adding that Kushner incorporated the firm after Trump left office and it secured the $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia six months later.
A spokesman for Kushner told the New York Times that he "abided by all legal and ethical guidelines both during and after his government service."
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Affinity plans to invest millions of dollars of Saudi Arabia’s money in Israeli startups.
The decision marks the first known instance that the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s cash will be directed to Israel, a sign of the kingdom’s increasing willingness to do business with the country, even though they have no diplomatic relations. This could help lay the groundwork for a breakthrough normalization pact between the two countries.
Kushner, who helped broker the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries, is known for his close ties to the Saudi regime. In February, he met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Shortly after Morocco normalized ties with Israel, Kushner said he believed it was only a matter of time until Saudi Arabia normalized relations with Israel.