President Donald Trump's children, like the president himself, are facing increasing scrutiny over concerns that their private business affairs are interfering with the Trump administration's ability to impartially serve the public interest.
Let's start with the president's eldest daughter, White House political adviser Ivanka Trump. She's expected to earn at least $1.5 million from three companies affiliated with the Trump Organization, according to McClatchy. Although there are other Trump Organization businesses that are expected to provide Ivanka Trump with revenue, the conflicts of interest that exist with the three that have already been confirmed provide sufficient cause for alarm. Five projects associated with those three companies raise possible ethical issues, involving potential business deals with the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and India.
Jared Kushner is also facing scrutiny for his business projects, particularly one that may have caused him to influence foreign policy in a way that punished a specific country. Kushner is alleged to have approached Qatar about investing in his family's property at 666 Fifth Avenue — one that currently has $1.4 billion in debt which will become due in 2019. Qatar claimed that they had evidence proving that Kushner was influenced by the United Arab Emirates into supporting a blockage against Qatar. He may have also been influenced by resentment toward Qatar for not agreeing to invest in 666 Fifth Avenue, according to NBC News. Qatar had reportedly been tempted to share the information with special counsel Robert Mueller but decided against it out of fear of suffering a reprisal from the Trump administration.
Kushner has also faced scrutiny for the Trump administration's decision to advise a small town in New Jersey over developing a ferry service that would help passengers go to a resort co-owned by Kushner, according to NBC News.
And then there's Donald Trump Jr., who is running the president's company — but isn't supposed to be involved with his politics. He failed to disclose a relationship with Texas hedge fund manager Gentry Beach, according to the Associated Press. Beach reportedly was in favor of reducing American sanctions against Venezuela, and because Beach and Trump Jr. recently formed a company called Future Venture LLC, it is unclear whether a meeting last year between Beach and officials from the National Security Council in favor of that plan could have helped Trump Jr.'s businesses in the process. That's important, because any presidential decision on the country could provide a windfall for his children.
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