TRUMP BUSINESS/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Jared Kushner’s family company recently began construction on an oceanfront development in this Jersey Shore city, a project that has the strong backing of local officials, who agreed to support it with $20 million in bonds.
But unknown to Long Branch officials, the Kushners have been in talks to team up with another family-run company that has an even bigger presence in the White House: the Trump Organization.
The Kushners are in private discussions to have President Trump’s company manage at least one hotel at the center of the development known as Pier Village, according to people briefed on the previously unreported talks. The Kushner Companies and the Trump Organization have signed a letter of intent, though no deal is final and the Kushners are not required to inform city officials.
The long-running talks blur the line between family, business and politics in ways that lack precedent: Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, retain financial interests in their family businesses. The Trump Organization’s outside ethics adviser has raised questions about a potential deal — one reason the two-year-long discussions have not been completed… The White House declined to comment. Both companies on Friday [3-9-18] confirmed their discussions about the hotel in Pier Village, while dismissing ethics concerns.”
–Ben Protess, Steve Eder, and Jesse Drucker, “Out of Public View, Trumps and Kushners Are Talking Business,” The New York Times online, Mar. 10, 2018