Kushner pursuing Chinese real estate project while advising Trump: report

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been pursuing a real estate project with a company tied to the Chinese government while also advising the president-elect, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Kushner was in talks with Anbang Insurance Group over a project to rebuild the skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which is owned by the Kushner family’s real estate company, the Times said.

According to the report, Anbang’s chairman, Wu Xiaohui, toasted Trump during a meeting with Kushner in November at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Wu reportedly said he wanted to meet the president-elect and thought Trump’s presidency would benefit global business.

{mosads}

Kushner’s spokeswoman, Risa Heller, told the newspaper that the talks began “well before the president-elect’s victory.”

Heller said Kushner, who became one of Trump’s key confidantes during his White House bid, will sell his stake in the 666 Fifth Avenue property before a deal is closed.

Heller also told the Times that while Kushner steered the negotiations with Anbang, he made the decision to give up responsibility for the Anbang deal by the time he met with Wu on Nov. 16. Laurent Morali, the president of Kushner Companies, was also reportedly invited to the meeting in November.