Kushner looking to Middle East for investors in new firm: report

Jared Kushner has been reaching out to several Middle Eastern countries to see if they would be interested in investing in his new investment firm, The New York Times reported.

A person knowledgeable about discussions told the Times that sovereign wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) declined to invest in Kushner’s new firm, called Affinity Partners. A person familiar also told the newspaper that Qatari leaders were also not interested in investing.

Two people, however, told the Times that Kushner was in negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund regarding potential investments. Four people knowledgable about those negotiations said that no deal had yet been announced, as negotiations between the Saudis and Kushner’s firm are ongoing.

By early 2022, former President Trump’s son-in-law aims to have an investment in the low billions of dollars, one person told the newspaper.

Kushner would not comment on Affinity Partners during a brief phone call with the Times and an Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia official also declined to comment to the newspaper. The Hill could not immediately reach Kushner for comment.

Leaders from the UAE reportedly had concerns about Kushner’s previous business performance, though they did see him as an ally, the Times reported.

The Qatari government, on the other hand, viewed the former president’s son-in-law as an adversary under the Trump White House, according to the newspaper.

The Times noted that Kushner has maintained a close relationship with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which includes using one another’s first names and texting.

The Times also noted that Kushner helped orchestrate trips and deals during the Trump administration between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, including a $110 billion American arms deal and Trump’s first trip outside of the U.S. to the Middle Eastern country.

The Hill has reached out to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Public Investment Fund for comment.