While right-wing hate media–and even some so-called “left” outlets–are busy making the “Hunter Biden laptop scandal” “Hillary’s emails” 2.0, there is a real scandal the media has decided to all but ignore.
Maybe that’s because it involves the children and associates of a former president instead of the current one.
It’s no secret Donald Trump’s administration was the most corrupt in modern history, making even Richard Nixon’s offenses seem small time.
But nearly a year a half since Trump and his band of sycophants and grifters reluctantly vacated Pennsylvania Avenue with boxes of classified information, the damage continues to fester in the periphery.
April 14, activist/writer Ali Al-Ahmed published an op-ed in The Washington Post delineating Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s continued involvement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka “MBS.”
How much is that involvement worth?
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Ahmed stated, recently “ended up giving $2 billion” to Kushner’s new private equity firm, Affinity Partners.
MSNBC Breaking News!
Jared Kushner gave Saudi Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud classified documents in exchange for the $2 billion investment in Kushner Inc.— Agolf Twitler Slayer (@bblock29) April 16, 2022
Al-Ahmed added:
“Managers of the Saudi Public Investment Fund objected to the investment, citing ‘the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management’—the firm was founded just last year by Kushner—and other risk factors. But MBS was quick to overrule their objections and ordered the transfer.”
With Trump out of the White House, there are some who will ask why should we care what he and/or his family do now that they are private citizens again. Aren’t they free to conduct any business they see fit?
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not an ordinary business client.
Al-Ahmed explained:
“For MBS [Kushner] represents another powerful domestic proxy to interfere in American politics.
“The crown prince has not forgiven President Biden for speaking ill of him during the campaign, and now, he is out for blood. MBS has picked a side and has carefully cultivated ties with Republican leaders and former Trump officials. MBS expects a substantial return for the billions he is showering on Republican figures.”
The Trump administration was perfectly willing to go along with the autocratic Saudi government’s atrocities in Yemen and look the other way when the Saudi government ordered the assassination of Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi .
Now the Biden administration finds itself in the middle of that Faustian bargain.
During an interview on Democracy Now!, Democracy for the Arab World Now executive director, Sarah Leah Whitson, admonished the Biden administration for its plea to the Saudi Arabian government to increase oil production to help lower gasoline prices as the Saudi military continues its relentless assault of Yemen.
“It’s mind-boggling,” Whitson said, “and it’s mind-boggling that [Saudi crown prince] bin Salman has actually said that he will not increase oil production unless the U.S. increases its support for the war in Yemen. Basically, the Biden administration is bargaining to do more to save the children of Ukraine by massacring more children in Yemen. That is the formula. And that’s why it’s just-it’s so discombobulating to see [U.S] Secretary [Antony] Blinken and President Biden falling over themselves to decry Russian atrocities in Ukraine while they support very similar, if not worse-certainly, to date, worse-atrocities by Saudi Arabia and the UAE [United Arab Emirates] in Yemen.”
Hunter Biden made millions taking advantage of his name and father’s position to obtain positions on boards of directors.
While this understandably raises some eyebrows, it’s important to point out that Hunter Biden did not undermine American foreign policy or interests.
Jared Kushner did and continues to do so.
He couldn’t even get a security clearance while working as Donald Trump’s “advisor.”
Progressive author and radio show personality Thom Hartmann wrote recently:
“There’s not even proportionality here. Three million versus 2 billion dollars and massive political sabotage? And another billion from the Saudis for Steve Mnuchin, and who knows how much more went into one of Donald’s untraceable offshore money bins? We’ll probably never know, as there’s not a single congressional investigation into Jared, and the DOJ appears to have no interest in Trump family corruption.”
Yet even the “liberal” CNN can’t resist capitalizing on the ratings blitz Hunter Biden’s manufactured scandal might produce while ignoring the national security threat “the former guy’s” son-in-law poses to the United States.
Image credit: Wikipedia