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Congressman Krishnamoorthi Calls on Trump Administration to Disclose If Kushner’s Tax Avoidance Activities and Potential Saudi Ties Were Known During Security Clearance Review

October 13, 2018

SCHAUMBURG, IL — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement in response to a report that White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner likely paid little or no income tax from 2009 through 2016:

"The saga of Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner's security clearance took another turn today with the New York Times reporting that Mr. Kushner likely paid little or no income tax from 2009 through 2016 by using similar tax-minimizing strategies to those embraced by President Trump. This news follows Mr. Kushner's receiving a permanent security clearance in May despite massive financial vulnerabilities which were widely reported even without public recognition of his complex tax avoidance strategy.

Given the seriousness of this issue, and the breadth of Mr. Kushner's portfolio, the White House and the National Background Investigations Bureau need to immediately inform Congress if they knew of this financial structuring when deciding to award Mr. Kushner a security clearance. Those entrusted with our nation's top secrets have an obligation to minimize their exposure to outside pressure or conflicts of interest. Instead, it appears that Mr. Kushner's potential security liabilities only grow with each passing day. With questions already circulating around Mr. Kushner's foreign financial interests, the New York Times report raises new questions around what efforts he might be engaging in to obscure such activities.

At a time when the American people are demanding answers about Mr. Kushner's ties to the Saudi regime, today's story is just one more example of congressional failure to conduct any oversight of the executive branch. Should Democrats be in the majority next year, I look forward to working with my colleagues to execute strong oversight of a White House in need of it."