Saudi Arabia reportedly singled out Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, as part of a campaign to establish influence in the White House.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner was reportedly the target of a Saudi campaign to establish influence in President Donald Trump’s administration and kept in regular, informal contact with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while publicly defending him against murder charges.
Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, was singled out by Saudi officials seeking to take advantage of the incoming administration’s lack of political experience and ambitions for the Middle East, according to The New York Times, which cited senior officials Saturday as well as documents, emails and text messages. A slide-show presentation obtained by Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, a frequent critic of Saudi Arabia and supporter of Iran-backed Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, detailed certain strategies for courting Kushner.
In one of the slides, which were prepared by a Saudi delegation of Prince Mohammed’s aides following a November 2016 meeting with Kushner, called for “high-level coordination with the new American administration” to help with “defeating extremist thought.”
The strategy has reportedly come in handy as the young royal came under heightened international scrutiny due to allegations that he ordered Khashoggi’s killing.
