Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) blasted “grifters” in the White House like Jared Kushner on Thursday after the New York Times revealed that Kushner got $500 million in loans after meeting with two bank executives at the White House.
“What a coincidence. It’s just amazing, you know, that these things could happen, that people could meet with Kushner, who is an owner of those companies, benefit the profits from it, and then they make these tremendous loans outside the ordinary. It’s a conflict of interest. The White House should be beyond approach, like Caesar’s wife, and they’re not. They invite criticism,” Cohen said on CNN, adding that he supported the House’s impeachment resolution because he thinks Trump is violating the Emoluments Clause.
Cohen said “you can buy influence in this White House, and that notice has been put out.”
“It’s what you can make out of the job. It’s called a grifter. There was a movie about it, Melanie Griffith, great movie,” he continued. “Sad story. We have grifters in the White House today.”
The Washington Post also reported that officials in at least four countries—United Arab Emirates, China, Israel, and Mexico—“have privately discussed ways they can manipulate” Kushner, who recently lost his top-secret security clearance, “by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience.”
The Times reported on Monday that Joshua Harris, the head of Apollo Group Management, gave Kushner a $184 million loan after meeting with him and discussing a possible White House job opportunity. In addition, Kusher reportedly got another $325 million loan from Citigroup and its CEO met with Kushner in the White House.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for Kushner’s ouster and re-tweeted a tweet on Wednesday evening suggesting that Trump did not get rid of the tax loopholes that benefit hedge-fund managers because of Kushner’s meetings with top hedge-fund executives in the White House.
Please, explain to us how this is not a massive con job orchestrated by Republicans in Washington who are only looking out for the interests of wealthy people and big corporations. We’ll wait. https://t.co/iwcPOI3s86
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) March 1, 2018
HOLY CRAP! Right after private equity firm Apollo gives Jared Kushner a much-needed $184 million loan, Trump rescinds his earlier promise to close a huge tax loophole that benefits private equity managers. That loophole stayed in the final tax bill.https://t.co/7qCRLv0SPc
— Michael Linden (@MichaelSLinden) March 1, 2018
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