BUSINESS/CHILE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “A Chilean mining company whose owner has business ties to President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner was able to clear significant ‘roadblocks’ in the early days of the Trump administration in order to reverse Obama-era restrictions that prevented it from mining near protected land in Minnesota, The New York Times reported Monday. The Times, citing government emails and calendars it reviewed, said the Trump administration worked in early 2017 with the mining company, Antofagasta, in order to clear certain hurdles so the company could operate a copper mine near the Boundary Waters, ‘a vast landscape of federally protected lakes and forests along (Minnesota’s) border with Canada.’ According to the paper, the newly granted access to the mines has drawn criticism ‘because of an unusual connection’ between Andrónico Luksic, whose family owns the mining company, and Trump and Kushner, who serve as senior advisers to the President and rent their Washington, DC, home from Luksic for $15,000 a month.”
–Devan Cole, “NYT: Ivanka Trump, Kushner have ‘unusual connection’ with Chilean company owner that worked with administration to secure mining lease,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, June 25, 2019 10:42 pm