Just when it appeared the White House couldn’t be in more hot water, new reporting shows that U.S. counterintelligence officials are looking into one of Ivanka Trump’s international business deals.
According to CNN, “The FBI has been looking into the negotiations and financing surrounding Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver.” That hotel opened about a month after her father took office.
More from the CNN report:
The FBI has been looking into the negotiations and financing surrounding Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, according to a US official and a former US official. The scrutiny could be a hurdle for the first daughter as she tries to obtain a full security clearance in her role as adviser to President Donald Trump.
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It’s standard procedure to probe foreign contacts and international business deals as part of a background check investigation. But the complexity of the Trump Organization’s business deals, which often rely on international financing and buyers, presents a challenge.
The FBI has been looking closely at the international business entanglements of both Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, to determine whether any of those deals could leave them vulnerable to pressure from foreign agents, including China, according to a US official.
The report also zeroed in on the reason the FBI might be looking into this particular business deal, citing its timing and the involvement of foreign money.
“The timing of the deal — as one of the few Trump-branded properties to open since Trump took office — could be of interest,” CNN noted. “The flow of foreign money, either from the developer or international condo buyers, could also be sparking scrutiny.”
Jared and Ivanka facing mounting pressure
The news that one of Ivanka Trump’s international business deals is under FBI scrutiny comes during what can only be described an awful week for her husband, Jared Kushner.
Just yesterday, The New York Times reported the bombshell news that Kushner received over $500 million in loans from companies after holding White House meetings with him. Whether these loans were meant to win influence over Trump administration policy remains to be seen, but it certainly raises more red flags about Kushner’s shady business dealings.
This news came a day after it was reported that Kushner lost access to top-secret intelligence – someone with his (lack of) qualifications should have never had in the first place.
From Jared and Ivanka to Donald Trump himself, this family appears to be wrapped up in so much corruption that government agencies like the FBI are struggling to keep up.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
