Political Scandals

White House Reportedly Backed Qatar Blockade After Kushner Deal Failed

Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating whether Kushner Companies' foreign business interests influenced White House policy.

White House Reportedly Backed Qatar Blockade After Kushner Deal Failed
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Jared Kushner's family-run real estate business sought and was denied financing from the Qatari government weeks before the White House supported a blockade on the country, according to reports. 

Jared's father Charles Kushner reportedly held a meeting with Qatar's minister of finance in April 2017 in hopes of negotiating an investment in a New York City property from the country's sovereign wealth fund.

But that deal never happened. Then in June, a coalition of Gulf states cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of financing terrorism and destabilizing the region. The Saudi-led group then imposed a punishing blockade on the country. 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to negotiate an end to the blockade, only to be contradicted by President Donald Trump. Trump called Qatar a "funder of terrorism" and applauded the Saudi-led blockade. 

Now, special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly looking into whether Kushner's foreign business interests played any role in directing White House policy. Kushner has been active in the Trump administration's Middle East diplomacy efforts.