Politics

Foreign officials from four countries tried to figure out ways to manipulate Jared Kushner, report says

Key Points
  • Officials in the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico privately discussed how their nations can benefit from Jared Kushner's international business dealings and lack of government experience, the Washington Post reported.
  • There are concerns in the White House that Kushner was "naive and being tricked" in his conversations with foreign officials, the Post said.

At least four countries sought ways to gain leverage over President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the Washington Post reported late on Tuesday.

White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner departs following his appearance before a closed session of the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of their probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. July 24, 2017.
Aaron P. Bernstein | Reuters

Officials in the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico privately discussed how their nations could benefit from Kushner's international business dealings and lack of government experience, unnamed sources told the newspaper.

Before becoming a White House senior adviser, Kushner ran his family real-estate firm Kushner Companies, a job that saw him court foreign financing.

That search for investors made Kushner "particularly manipulable" in the eyes of U.A.E. officials, for instance, the Post said, citing current and former U.S. administrative representatives who spoke based on intelligence reports about the matter.

There are concerns in the White House that Kushner was "naive and being tricked" in his conversations with foreign officials, the Post continued.

Jared Kushner reportedly was warned about his ties to Wendi Deng Murdoch, ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch
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Jared Kushner reportedly was warned about his ties to Wendi Deng Murdoch, ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch

The 37-year-old's top-secret government security clearance was recently downgraded and according to the Post, his relations with foreign officials is a key reason why he's been unable to obtain permanent security clearance.

The embassies of China, Israel and the U.A.E. did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment. The White House did not immediately answer CNBC's request for comment.

Read the Washington Post's full story for more details.