2019-03-21nytimes.com

Ward's book ["Kushner, Inc."] suggests that the search for someone who would bail out 666 Fifth Avenue has played a significant role in American foreign policy during the Trump administration. And since the completion of her book, we've learned that Trump overrode intelligence officials, who were concerned about Kushner and his family's ties to foreign investors, to give Kushner a security clearance.

In the end, the Kushner family seems to have gotten what it wanted. Last year, Brookfield Asset Management, which has substantial investment from the government of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, came to the Kushners' rescue. (The Qataris have denied any advance knowledge of the deal.)

"You'll notice that the U.S. position toward Qatar changes when the Qataris bail out 666 Fifth Avenue," said Ward, adding, "We look like a banana republic." Maybe that's why Jared and Ivanka appear so blithely confident. As public servants, they're obviously way out of their depth. But as self-dealing scions of a gaudy autocracy? They're naturals.



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