Today’s hearing is a bizarre political stunt which at its core is a disgusting attack against President Biden’s family after years of ignoring Trump’s family’s business dealings from their time in the White House. And it is the definition of hypocritical.
The same people running today’s hearing haven’t lifted a finger to investigate corruption by Trump’s family and his businesses. This gobsmacking hypocrisy and lack of credibility also exposes the lie that was the supposed GOP campaign platform last fall to address inflation, crime, and other issues that matter to Americans. But that focus was a distraction and a lie: their real agenda is politically motivated investigations to hurt Joe Biden and Democrats, and to help themselves in future elections.
Where was Oversight Chair James Comer and other MAGA Republicans during the Trump administration? At every turn, they looked the other way when corruption took place from inside the White House. Comer and House Republicans opposed issuing subpoenas, obtaining documents, and trying to get testimony to conduct legitimate oversight of the Trump family’s corruption.
- GQ: How Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump Have Profited Off Their Dad’s Presidency. “In April 2017, a real estate firm tied to the Kushner family made a direct appeal to the government of Qatar to invest…A month later, when a coalition of Persian Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates organized a blockade of Qatar, Kushner was among its most vocal U.S. supporters.” […] In the months that followed, Kushner developed a close working relationship with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman—close enough that bin Salman allegedly told confidants that the president’s son-in-law was ‘in his pocket.’ Fortunately, help for the Kushner family’s financial woes subsequently arrived in the form of Brookfield Asset Management, which acquired a 99-year lease on 666 Fifth Avenue for about $1 billion in April 2018. This miraculous timing allowed the Kushners to pay off its existing mortgage and buy out its partner in the venture, Vornado Realty Trust. The buyer was [funded by] the government of Qatar.” [GQ, 10/14/19, 3/22/18; Wall Street Journal, 8/3/18]
- Los Angeles Times: Trump’s Children Take In Millions Overseas As President Slams Biden’s Son. “Time and again, Trump’s children have blurred the lines of family, nation, and business — essentially the charge the president makes against the Bidens as he battles a House impeachment inquiry focused on whether he improperly pushed Ukraine to investigate his political rivals for what he claims were shady dealings. Trump’s children ‘appear to people all over the world to be his bagmen,’ said Richard Painter, who served as White House ethics czar under President George W. Bush. ‘This is the Trump business empire. It’s owned by Donald Trump, the president, and they are managing it for him and collecting business on his behalf.’” [Los Angeles Times, 10/10/19]
- HEADLINE: Jared And Ivanka Made Up To $640 Million In the White House. “Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump reported between $172 million and $640 million in outside income while working in the White House, according to an analysis of financial disclosures by CREW. […] Both Kushner and Trump announced they would not take a salary while working for the government in an attempt to shut down nepotism concerns. While their supporters marked this as a public sacrifice, the massive amount of money they made on the side undercuts that argument, as government salaries would have been less than 1% of their income.” [CREW, 2/8/21]
- Ivanka Trump Obtained Three Preliminary Trademark Approvals On The Same Day She Dined With The Chinese President. “On the same day Trump and his daughter dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in April 2017, China awarded her three preliminary trademark approvals for jewelry, handbags, and spa services. In all, she has obtained more than a dozen Chinese trademarks since entering the White House, ensuring her access to the world’s second-largest economy if she goes back into business.” [Los Angeles Times, 10/10/19]