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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJosh Marshall: A Few Thoughts on the Trump/Kushner Families Presidency Cash Bust Out
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-few-thoughts-on-the-trumpkushner-families-presidency-cash-bust-out
A Few Thoughts on the Trump/Kushner Families Presidency Cash Bust Out
By Josh Marshall Published May 8, 2017 10:26 am
Youve probably heard that the Kushner family was caught over the weekend literally selling visas to immigrate to the United States in exchange for funding a $150 million dollar New Jersey real estate project. The sale itself is actually legal. Its part of a highly controversial and widely abused program which provides visas to foreign nationals in exchange for $500,000 investments in US projects which by certain standards are judged to create jobs in impoverished or economically distressed parts of the United States. Its become a widely abused vehicle for real estate developers looking to fund luxury development projects.
Setting that controversy aside, what sets this apart of course is that Jared Kushner is the most senior advisor to the President of the United States, as well as being the Presidents son-in-law. While nominally stepping aside from his family business, his family is in China openly trading on the Kushner familys ties to President Trump to rake up money. As much and as quickly as possible. Kushners sister Nicole actually led the presentation. Reporters from the Times and the Post were on hand at the presentation in Beijing (where they were able to get in) and at a second in Shanghai (where they werent.)
Trump as well as the Kushner familys connection to him was explicitly invoked as the key decision maker in getting the visas. A Times reporter posted this picture of the presentation to Twitter, which Ive marked up to identify the people in the slide
This is needless to say, the most open and flagrant kind of monetizing of the Presidency as bad as anyone could have imagined from the conjoined Trump/Kushner families. The fact that this nationalist, crack down on illegal immigration White House is connected to cash for visas activities like this just adds a layer of oily crust to the corruption.
The most important part of this story, however, is whats not stated. The Post and the Times caught wind of this event and sent reporters. Do we think this is the only case of the Trump and Kushner families doing this? I think we can fairly assume that the effort to cash in is underway and in overdrive in numerous countries around the world and in every way possible. We see hints and shreds of evidence popping up Ivanka Trump securing numerous trademarks for her company in China. Even more revealing, many of the hints emerge first in the foreign press or by chance in indiscreet bragging on social media. This tells us that the US press is hard pressed to monitor it understandably, its a large world! With zero disclosure, private meetings and a whole world to rake money, inevitably most of it is taking place outside of our view.
It will likely be years, perhaps decades, until we learn the full story.
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Josh Marshall: A Few Thoughts on the Trump/Kushner Families Presidency Cash Bust Out (Original Post)
babylonsister
May 2017
OP
genxlib
(5,524 posts)1. We will never know the full story
It is like an iceberg. What is visible above water is only a fraction of what is really there.
In a sane world, a fraction of the story should be enough to put an end to this travesty.