Top Democrat is investigating Jared Kushner’s financial investments

A top Democratic lawmaker is seeking information on Jared Kushner’s financial investments following a CNN investigation last week that found his private equity firm is the largest shareholder in an Israeli company backing businesses involved in Israel’s military campaigns.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, sent Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, a letter on Monday saying Democrats on the committee were “investigating the unprecedented and dangerous ways in which President Trump and his family have profited directly from their access to power.

“…I request detailed information about your business dealings in the Middle East to understand whether your significant financial gains have come at the cost of Americans’ safety and security, ” the California representative wrote.

The letter is yet another sign that House Democrats are poised to investigate President Donald Trump’s family members’ business dealings overseas and in the US, should they retake the majority in the midterm elections this fall.

An attorney for Kushner dismissed Garcia’s criticisms and sought to draw attention to the congressman’s own holdings in investments scrutinized in CNN’s report on Kushner – Phoenix Financial, an Israeli financial services firm which counts Affinity Partners as its biggest investor, and Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.

“Rep. Garcia’s letter is a masterclass in irony: A member of Congress questioning a private citizen for having an interest in the same stock in which the member also holds an interest,” the attorney said in a statement to CNN. “Jared has no role in deciding what Phoenix buys or sells. But if that doesn’t matter to Rep. Garcia, he should begin by investigating himself.”

Garcia’s most recent disclosure forms indicate his pension plans are managed through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and California State Teachers Retirement System. Both plans hold stock in Phoenix Financials or Elbit Systems.