Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

MBS forced Investment Fund to give Kushner $2B: NYT

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: The New York Times
  • 11 Apr 2022 12:42
  • 8 Shares
4 Min Read

The Saudi Public Investment Fund approves a $2 billion investment for Jared Kushner despite his "little experience" in private equity.

  • x
  • Jared Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman
    Jared Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) secured a $2 billion investment for former US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in spite of objections and doubts from the fund's advisers, The New York Times reported.

According to the newspaper, previously undisclosed documents reveal that "A panel that screens investments for the main Saudi sovereign wealth fund cited concerns about the proposed deal with Mr. Kushner’s newly formed private equity firm, Affinity Partners."

The panel's meeting minutes last June 30 indicated that the advisers' concerns included “the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management,” the possibility that Saudi Arabia would be responsible for “the bulk of the investment and risk," the firm’s "unsatisfactory" operations, an "excessive" proposed asset management fee,” and “public relations risks” from Kushner’s prior role as a former senior Trump adviser, the Times pointed out.

Nevertheless, the PIF's full board led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman overruled the panel.

"Ethics experts say that such a deal creates the appearance of potential payback for Mr. Kushner’s actions in the White House — or of a bid for future favor if Mr. Trump seeks and wins another presidential term in 2024," the New York Times mentioned.

Saudi fund allegedly "operates autonomously"

It is noteworthy that Kushner defended bin Salman following US investigations that accused the Crown Prince of approving the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The New York Times highlighted that the PIF agreed to invest twice as much with Kushner than it did with former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who was seeking a new fund.

The documents show that, unlike Kushner, Mnuchin was already a successful investor before being appointed as a secretary.

Related News

Trump orders national guard expansion in Washington

Musk’s xAI sues Apple, OpenAI over antitrust collusion in AI market

"In its most recent public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, dated March 31, Mr. Kushner’s firm reported that its main fund had $2.5 billion under management, almost entirely from investors based overseas. Most of that appears to be the $2 billion from Saudi Arabia," the Times underscored

In return for its investment, the PIF would receive a stake of at least 28% in Kushner’s main investments, the documents showed.

The Saudi fund allegedly "operates autonomously", however, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is its topmost decision-maker.

A huge defender of bin Salman

According to the Times, Kusher "has little experience or track record in private equity. Before working in the White House, he ran his family’s commercial real estate empire, sometimes with disappointing results."

"His best-known deal was the $1.8 billion purchase of the office tower at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, in 2007; the building’s mortgage became a crippling liability when the recession hit the next year," the newspaper noted.

While in office, Kushner helped mediate the so-called "Abraham Accords" that normalized ties between some Arab states and "Israel", and continued his efforts even after leaving the White House.

The Times said Trump's son-in-law also "helped broker $110 billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over 10 years," and protected the Saudi regime from congressional outrage over the murder of Khashoggi and the war on Yemen.

According to the documents, a Saudi staff wrote that Kushner was hoping to avoid media attention, and that's the reason he approached the PIF instead of US investors.

Kushner's proposal approved after raised to bin Salman

The board committee evaluating Kushner’s proposal referred to it as "Project Astro". 

"The Affinity principal would like to avoid media attention at this time. Accordingly, Affinity has approached international institutional investors on a very discreet basis (especially PIF as Affinity’s cornerstone LP) to anchor the launch of their inaugural fund," the document read.

The four-panel members “stated that they are not in favor of Project Astro,” the documents showed. Following that, the panel’s chairperson Yasir Al-Rumayyan -chairman of Saudi Aramco - suggested raising the panel's decision to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Fews days later, the board approved the deal.

  • United States
  • Washington
  • Israel
  • US
  • Mohammad Bin Salman
  • Jamal Khashoggi
  • Yemen
  • Public Investment Fund
  • Steven Mnuchin
  • Aramco
  • Abraham Accords
  • Donald Trump
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Jared Kushner
  • white house

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS