A left-leaning watchdog group on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging the ability of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law to serve in a top diplomatic role.
Jared Kushner, husband to Trump’s oldest daughter, has helped lead diplomatic negotiations in Iran, Ukraine, and Gaza, alongside senior officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff. Kushner remains a private citizen, performing diplomatic duties on a volunteer basis.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington this week sued to block Kushner from engaging in such peace talks, alleging he is breaking the law by acting in a top diplomatic role without undergoing Senate confirmation or filing financial disclosures. The left-wing group suggested that as CEO of global investment firm Affinity Partners, Kushner holds a “heightened risk of financial conflicts of interest” that should be probed, urging the court to block Kushner from continuing to perform and compel him to file financial disclosures, citing the Constitution’s appointments clause and the Ethics in Government Act.
“The president’s son-in-law is currently acting with the authority of the United States government, shaping the most serious foreign policy and national security issues facing our nation, and yet, he has not complied with legal requirements to meaningfully assure the public of his competence and fitness, and that he’s putting America’s interests before his private interests,” CREW President Donald Sherman said in a press release. “[Kushner] cannot simply opt-out and expect the public to simply take him at his word.”
If Kushner is a private citizen, “his exercise of government power would violate the private non-delegation doctrine, which prohibits the delegation of government power to private entities,” the lawsuit argued, echoing criticisms that have been raised by Democrats including Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Robert Garcia (D-CA).
Kushner has defended his private sector connections as having enabled the United States to gain leverage and breakthroughs in tense negotiations. He personally published a lengthy rebuke to accusations of conflicts of interest last week, insisting that “serious allegations should be supported by specific facts, not generalized theories from unnamed sources.” In a CBS interview last October, Kushner said what “some people call conflicts of interest, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world.”
Kushner’s legal team labeled the latest lawsuit as “without merit” in a statement posted to X.
“This lawsuit is without merit, and we believe the plaintiffs lack standing to bring it. Both outside ethics counsel and government ethics attorneys have reviewed Jared Kushner’s volunteer government service and confirmed that his arrangements comply with applicable ethics requirements,” attorney Chad Mizelle wrote. “Jared receives no government salary or compensation, pays his own expenses, and will continue working with counsel to ensure ongoing compliance.”
The Trump administration also slammed the lawsuit, with a White House official arguing there’s nothing unusual about the use of a private envoy.
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“The use of private diplomatic envoys to deal with delicate international situations is a presidential practice that dates back to George Washington’s presidency,” a White House official told NBC News.
“CREW is an unserious, Trump-deranged organization that has been attacking President Trump, his family, and his administration since the first term. Jared Kushner is a proven dealmaker” with a record of success “that more than speaks for itself,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly added. “His personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements, which he conducts on a volunteer basis at the President’s request and while paying his own expenses.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
