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Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen said the Department of Justice (DOJ) should probe Jared Kushner's ties to Saudi Arabia after the former president was indicted for allegedly mishandling classified documents post-presidency on Thursday.
A grand jury indicted Trump on 37 charges ranging from willful retention of classified documents to obstruction charges in connection to the investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents after leaving office in January 2021 led by special counsel Jack Smith. Federal prosecutors are accusing the former president of mishandling sensitive presidential records and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. Trump, however, has maintained his innocence, accusing prosecutors of investigating him for political reasons.
Cohen, who for years served as Trump's personal attorney before turning on him, said the investigation warrants focus on Trump's son-in-law's ties to Saudi Arabia during an appearance on MSNBC's The Katie Phang Show on Saturday.
Kushner's ties to Saudi Arabia were subject to renewed scrutiny after The Washington Post reported in February that Saudi Arabia gave $2 billion to Kushner's Affinity Fund from a sovereign wealth fund that was chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Trump administration forged closer ties to Saudi Arabia than previous administrations, oftentimes attracting criticism due to a myriad of controversies surrounding Riyadh.
"I think the DOJ should be, if they're not already, looking at the unholy relationship that exists between Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, and Jared Kushner," Cohen said.
He continued to say why he believes why this aspect of the investigation could be necessary, explaining: "I mean this whole $2 billion to an unqualified hedge funder makes no sense to me. And in light of the information that came out that there was military information on Iran, and we all know that Saudi Arabia has had Iranian aggression on their mind for a long time. Who knows what was shown to them, who knows what was discussed, who knows what was sold?"
The indictment alleged that Trump allegedly discussed keeping a classified military document about a potential attack against "country A" during a July 2021 meeting at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. The document redacted the specific country, but CNN previously reported the document pertained to a potential attack on Iran.
Cohen said on Saturday he is confident that federal investigators "will find a lot of information" by looking into the Trump administration's Saudi ties, suggesting that Trump could have "profited" from these ties, though he offered no evidence to back up that suggestion.
"I believe he probably had his hand in it. That he certainly knows about it," Cohen said. "Chances are that if he had his hand in it and knew about it, he profited from it."
Former U.S. Attorney Gene Rossi told Newsweek in a brief phone interview on Saturday that the DOJ may already be probing Kushner's ties to Saudi Arabia. He said he agrees it should be a focus, noting that it would be "hard to believe" that the Saudis gave the $2 billion to Kushner based purely on his business skills.
"Trump obviously appears to posses military secrets that would be interesting to the Saudi Arabians. One can make the argument that Trump maybe has a financial motive to take advantage of that information. So is it something the DOJ could possibly be looking at? Yes. What connection there is between documents he took and any interest the Saudi Arabians may have," he said.
Rossi described the indictment against Trump as "stunning," adding that "these allegations, if proven, are very powerful."
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email.
While legal experts have scrutinized Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia, no legal authority has said that he is facing investigation for his ties to the Middle Eastern country.
Trump is facing 37 charges, including 31 counts of willful retention of classified documents and one count each of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more