Watchdog group sues Trump administration over Jared Kushner’s government work

A watchdog group filed suit Wednesday alleging President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s current role as a top envoy for the administration is unlawful and raises numerous conflict-of-interest concerns.

Kushner is wielding tremendous influence internationally “without having been confirmed by the Senate and without having filed a single financial disclosure,” the suit by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, reads.

Kushner “has not been properly vetted for his government role, and he has evaded transparency obligations that aim to ensure he exercises government authority for the good of the American people and not himself,” the suit reads.

The suit seeks to have Kushner removed from his position or at least file financial disclosure statements.

Chad Mizelle, an attorney for Jared Kushner, said in a statement that the suit “is without merit.”

“Both outside ethics counsel and government ethics attorneys have reviewed Jared Kushner’s volunteer government service and confirmed that his arrangements comply with applicable ethics requirements. Jared receives no government salary or compensation, pays his own expenses, and will continue working with counsel to ensure ongoing compliance,” Mizelle said.

A White House spokesperson ripped CREW and the suit in a separate statement.

“CREW is an unserious, Trump-deranged organization that has been attacking President Trump, his family, and his administration since the first term. Jared Kushner is a proven dealmaker” with a record of success “that more than speaks for itself,” the spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said in a statement.

“His personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements, which he conducts on a volunteer basis at the President’s request and while paying his own expenses,” the statement said.

The suit mentions numerous overlapping interests in Kushner’s diplomatic and business work.

“He represents the United States in the highest profile global conflicts, including the country’s efforts to end wars between Israel and Hamas, Ukraine and Russia, and the United States and Iran. He negotiates directly with foreign leaders,” the group’s filing says.

“Simultaneously, Kushner is also a private businessman. He runs an investment firm with over $6 billion in assets under management. Approximately 99% of those assets are owned by foreign investors, including the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The firm holds significant investments abroad, including in Israel,” the suit says, all of which “present a heightened risk of financial conflicts of interest.”

It adds that “declining a salary and formal title does not change the reality of Kushner’s role — he exercises significant executive authority and has done so continuously throughout most of President Trump’s second term. And it certainly does not free him from the constitutional constraints of the Appointments Clause or the obligation to file public financial disclosures under the Ethics Act.”

The suit seeks to bar Kushner from occupying his government position without Senate confirmation. It says that, if he’s a private citizen, “his exercise of government power would violate the private non-delegation doctrine, which prohibits the delegation of government power to private entities.”

Despite the scope of Kushner’s duties, a White House official said there’s nothing unusual about the use of a private envoy.

“The use of private diplomatic envoys to deal with delicate international situations is a presidential practice that dates back to George Washington’s presidency,” the official said.