House Dems request info on White House probe of loans to Kushner family’s business

Two Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are pushing the White House Counsel’s Office to provide updates on its investigation into senior adviser Jared Kushner’s meetings with executives from two companies that later loaned millions to his family’s business. 

Ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) asked White House Counsel Donald McGahn in a letter dated Monday to provide documents related to the review of Kushner’s compliance with ethics laws, as well as those pertaining to Kushner’s connection to his family’s company since joining the Trump administration. 

“Your office has ignored repeated requests for information about steps your office or Mr. Kushner have taken to address his apparent conflicts. Your silence is disturbing given the increasing number of allegations about Mr. Kushner using his role in the White House to benefit his family’s company,” the lawmakers wrote.

{mosads}The Democrats asked McGahn to produce the requested documents by April 10.

Krishnamoorthi previously raised concerns to the Office of Government Ethics following reports that Kushner met at the White House with executives from Apollo Global Management and Citigroup shortly before each company loaned Kushner Cos. millions of dollars.

Apollo loaned $184 million to the Kushner Cos., while Citigroup loaned $325 million to the business, which is run by Kushner’s family.

The New York Times reported last month that Kushner spoke with an Apollo co-founder about a possible job opportunity at the White House, but that nothing came of the discussion.

David Apol, acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, said in a letter published Monday that he spoke with the White House Counsel’s Office about Krishnamoorthi’s concerns, and the office confirmed it had already begun an investigation.

CBS News reported Tuesday that Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said the White House Counsel’s Office concluded Kushner did not do anything wrong.

“He was not involved with his former company after he entered government service; the transactions in question came after that; he had nothing to do with those transactions; the transactions had nothing to do with any of his meetings in the White House, and the people from the companies involved have confirmed that as well,” Lowell told CBS in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Kushner Cos. said Monday the business had not received an inquiry from the White House.

An Apollo spokesman previously said the executive who met with Kushner was not involved in the decision to loan Kushner Cos. money.

A Citigroup spokeswoman said the firm’s relationship with Kushner Cos. was not connected to Kushner’s White House role.