Being a president's relative puts a son, daughter, in-law, parent, or cousin in public. It is happening now to jared kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. But it is not just Jared who is under scrutiny for his Russian links but also his wife, Ivanka Trump, for her art collection.
The Washington Post identified the senior White House adviser under investigation in the ongoing probe of links between Russian officials and Trump’s campaign as Kushner. The probe is looking beyond the possible coordination between the two camps to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Financial crimes angle
The investigation is also looking if financial crimes were also committed which possibly happened after the election. The president’s son-in-law met in December with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., and Sergey Gorkov, head of Vnesheconombank. Gorkov’s bank is among the Russian companies that were affected by the sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea.
However, Reuters noted that the investigators interested in the action of Kushner do not mean the son-in-law is suspected of a crime or the agencies probing him are planning to file charges. Jamie Gorelick, a lawyer of Kushner, said the husband of Ivanka would cooperate with the probe. She pointed out that Kushner had volunteered in the past to provide Congress information he has about the meetings with Russian officials.
But it is the FBI which has not turned over to the House Oversight Committee communications between the president and fired FBI Director James Comey. The committee’s deadline was on Wednesday, but the FBI said it was still evaluating the request.
Ivanka’s art collection
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reported that Ivanka and Jared did not disclose their extensive art collection estimated to be worth millions.
Among the art pieces they own are those made by Dan Cole, David Ostrowski, and Alex Da Corte. Among Trump officials who have disclosed their art collections, also worth millions, are Treasure Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
The lawyer of Kushner explained that the son-in-law of the president and his wife did not disclose their artwork because it is only for decorative purposes and not for trading, although the couple sold one piece.
It was Nate Lowman’s bullet hole painting that the couple sold for $665,000 in 2013.
However, to avoid doubt, Ivanka and Jared would report their art collection which Ivanka frequently posts on Instagram. Since Kushner is an adviser to the president, he is covered by the law which states that federal employees with artworks worth over $1,000 must report the collection, according to the Office of Government Ethics.
