Report: Kushner’s Family Firm Sought Cash From Qatari Gov’t Before Saudi Blockade

Jared Kushner’s father made a direct pitch to the Qatari government in an attempt to secure an investment in a Kushner Companies asset in April 2017—just weeks before his son is said to have backed a Saudi blockade of Qatar, according to a report in The Intercept. Kushner’s father, Charles, who heads up the real-estate company, is reported to have met Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sharif in New York last year to discuss financing the company’s troubled 666 Fifth Ave. office tower. A month after the failed negotiations, Jared Kushner reportedly advised President Trump to back a blockade against Qatar, with Trump later tweeting in June that the country funded “radical ideology.” There have been previous reports that the Kushners sought financial backing from Qataris, but The Intercept claims that this is the first time the family firm has been revealed to have attempted to get money from a Qatari government minister. Kushner Companies spokesperson Christine Taylor said: “We don’t comment on who Charlie meets with,” adding: “We don’t do business with any sovereign funds.”