A watchdog group filed suit Wednesday, alleging that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s current role as the administration’s top envoy is illegal and raises numerous conflict of interest concerns.
Kushner wields enormous influence internationally “without having been confirmed by the Senate and without having filed a single financial disclosure,” says the lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.
Kushner “was not properly vetted for his government role, and he evaded transparency obligations that are intended to ensure that he exercises government authority for the benefit of the American people and not for himself,” the complaint reads.
The suit seeks to have Kushner removed from office or at least filed financial disclosures.
Chad Mizelle, Jared Kushner’s lawyer, said in a statement that the suit “is without merit.”
“External ethics advisors and government ethics attorneys have reviewed Jared Kushner’s pro bono government service and have confirmed that his arrangements are consistent with applicable ethics requirements. Jared receives no salary or compensation from the government, pays his own expenses, and will continue to work with counsel to ensure continued compliance,” Mizelle said.
A White House spokesperson ripped CREW and the lawsuit in a separate statement.
“CREW is a disingenuous and deranged Trump organization that has been attacking President Trump, his family and his administration since the first term. Jared Kushner is a proven negotiator” with a track record of success “that speaks for itself,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
“His personal professional activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic commitments, which he carries out voluntarily at the request of the president and paying his own expenses,” the press release specifies.
The lawsuit cites numerous overlapping interests in Kushner’s diplomatic and business work.
“He represents the United States in the most high-profile global conflicts, including the country’s efforts to end the wars between Israel and Hamas, Ukraine and Russia, and the United States and Iran. He negotiates directly with foreign leaders,” the group’s filing said.
“Simultaneously, Kushner is also a private businessman. He runs an investment company with more than $6 billion in assets under management. Approximately 99% of these assets are held by foreign investors, including the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The company has significant investments abroad, including in Israel,” the suit states, all of which “present an increased risk of financial conflicts of interest.”
He adds that “denying a salary and official title does not change the reality of Kushner’s role – he exercises significant executive power and has done so continuously for most of President Trump’s second term. And it certainly does not free him from the constitutional constraints of the Appointments Clause or the requirement to disclose public financial information under the Ethics Act.”
The suit seeks to bar Kushner from holding his government post without Senate confirmation. It says that if he is a private citizen, “his exercise of governmental power would violate the private nondelegation doctrine, which prohibits the delegation of governmental power to private entities.”
Despite the scope of Kushner’s duties, a White House official said there was nothing unusual about using a private envoy.
“Using private diplomatic envoys to deal with delicate international situations is a presidential practice dating back to the presidency of George Washington,” the official said.
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