A U.S. watchdog organization filed a lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that the current role of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as one of the administration’s leading envoys is unlawful and creates numerous risks of conflicts of interest. NBC News reports, writes UNN.
Details
Kushner wields enormous influence on the international stage "without receiving Senate confirmation or filing any declaration of financial income and assets," according to a lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Kushner "has not undergone the proper vetting to perform his government duties and is evading transparency requirements intended to ensure that he uses his authority in the interests of the American people, rather than for his own benefit," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs are seeking to have Kushner removed from his position or, at a minimum, ordered to file financial disclosures.
The lawsuit cites numerous overlapping interests in Kushner’s diplomatic and commercial activities.
He represents the United States in the most high-profile international conflicts, including participating in the country’s efforts to end the wars between Israel and Hamas, Ukraine and Russia, as well as the United States and Iran. He holds direct negotiations with foreign leaders
"At the same time, Kushner is a private businessman. He runs an investment firm that manages more than $6 billion in assets. Approximately 99% of these assets belong to foreign investors, including sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The company has significant investments abroad, including in Israel," the lawsuit states. In the plaintiffs’ view, all of this "creates an elevated risk of financial conflicts of interest."
The lawsuit also emphasizes that "declining a salary and official title does not change the real nature of Kushner’s role: he exercises significant executive authority and has done so continuously for most of Trump’s second presidential term. And this in no way exempts him from the constitutional restrictions set out in the Appointments Clause or from the obligation to file public financial disclosures under the ethics law."
The plaintiffs are seeking to bar Kushner from holding public office without Senate confirmation. The lawsuit also states that, if he is a private citizen, "his exercise of government authority would violate the doctrine against the impermissible delegation of powers to private persons, which prohibits transferring government power to private entities."