Kushner’s Infrastructure Takeover: US Analysis
- According to Salon reporter Sophia Tesfaye,"the speed and scale of jared Kushner's re-emergence can't be overstated," and neither can his corruption.
- "In the first year of Donald Trump's second presidency, his son-in-law is casually consolidating economic and political power with staggering speed," said Tesfaye. "Kushner has positioned himself at...
- Paramount Skydance recently launched a bid to acquire Warner Bros.
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Jared Kushner’s Expanding Influence and Foreign Investments
Table of Contents
The Scale of Kushner’s Re-emergence
According to Salon reporter Sophia Tesfaye,”the speed and scale of jared Kushner’s re-emergence can’t be overstated,” and neither can his corruption. Tesfaye highlights a rapid consolidation of economic and political power by Kushner as leaving the White House.
“In the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, his son-in-law is casually consolidating economic and political power with staggering speed,” said Tesfaye. “Kushner has positioned himself at the center of the biggest media merger in years and at the fulcrum of White House foreign policy, all while taking in multi-billion-dollar investments from autocratic governments.”
The Paramount/Skydance Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Paramount Skydance recently launched a bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery through a unfriendly takeover. This offer is substantially backed by Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, and sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab emirates, and Qatar. Successful acquisition would grant these entities – and Kushner – considerable influence over major American news and cultural outlets.
“The partnership is unprecedented,” said Tesfaye. “Not even Rupert Murdoch’s right-wing media empire was capitalized by foreign monarchies seeking political leverage.”
Affinity Partners and the Flow of Funds
Kushner raised over $3 billion for Affinity Partners at the end of the first Trump administration, including $2 billion from the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund. The UAE and Qatar quickly followed, “adding another $1.5 billion to the pot.”
The sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and qatar represent autocracies investing in the infrastructure of American political communication, and they are doing so through the president’s son-in-law.
Security Clearance Concerns
It’s certainly worth noting that Kushner’s application for a top-secret security clearance was initially rejected during Trump’s first term after an FBI background check raised concerns about potential foreign influence. This rejection was later overruled.