BALTIMORE _ Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cummings and two U.S. senators Wednesday called for the White House to clarify which financial assets Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to President Donald Trump, has divested to avoid potential conflicts of interest with his role in the administration.
In a letter that cited news reports including a Baltimore Sun article last month on apartment complexes in Maryland that Kushner owns and which receive federal housing funds, Cummings and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tom Carper said it is currently "impossible" to determine if the adviser has properly recused himself from governmental matters that may benefit him financially.
"Neither the White House nor Mr. Kushner's attorneys ... has confirmed which financial assets Mr. Kushner still controls _ rendering oversight of Mr. Kushner's recusals and compliance with conflict-of-interest law impossible," the letter from the three Democrats said.
The White House said Kushner was fully complying with ethics rules, had divested of substantial assets and recused himself in the case of interests that he still owned.
The letter noted that it appears from a Sun article on Feb. 25 that Kushner's real estate holdings "required him to recuse himself from at least one policy matter." The Sun article quoted the White House as saying Kushner will recuse himself from policy discussions related to federal housing assistance to low-income tenants because some of his properties in Maryland receive U.S. Housing and Urban Development funds through vouchers previously known as Section 8.
The legislators also raised the issue of the assets of Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and Kushner's wife, who while holding no official position in the administration has occasionally participated in White House meetings and other functions. Among the five questions that the letter raised was one asking which issues Mr. Kushner might recuse himself from based on his wife's financial holdings.
Among other questions in the letter: Which holdings has he retained, and which has he divested? What has Kushner recused himself from to date to avoid conflicts, and which issues will he abstain from in the future? Has Kushner requested or received any waivers to allow him to work on issues that would affect his or his wife's financial interests?
Kushner resigned in January as CEO of his family's company. Kushner Cos. has vast commercial and residential real estate holdings, including some 20,000 apartment units in Maryland and several other states.
The letter, addressed to Stefan C. Passantino, the White House's designated ethics official, seeks a response no later than Tuesday.
