Back in the news

 

April 16, 2022

Trump administration conflicts of interest were back in the news this week. The New York Times broke that Jared Kushner’s private equity firm secured $2 billion from Saudi Arabia, despite objections from advisers to the Saudi fund. The advisers were concerned about the lack of experienced management at Kushner’s fund and the amount of risk the Saudi government would take on with the deal, and yet the fund led by the Saudi crown prince went through with it anyway. We have no way of knowing why the deal ultimately went through, but it sure gives the appearance that Kushner benefitted from the relationship he built with a foreign government while serving as a high-level presidential adviser. As POGO’s Walter Shaub told Bloomberg News, the news raises questions about what we don’t know. “The real concern here is that the public has no way of knowing exactly what favors someone like Kushner may have done for the Saudis,” he said. It’s troubling that any president’s foreign policy could be influenced by the potential of future financial gain. This week’s news demonstrates how real that possibility is — Kushner developed a relationship with the Saudi crown prince while working in the White House and later went on to secure a multi-billion-dollar investment. Again, we don’t know the motives on either side of this deal, but this shouldn’t even be a possibility. As POGO has advocated before, there should be a ban on post-presidential emoluments. LISTEN NOW The Continuous Action The first episode of POGO’s new podcast is out now. If you haven’t already, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. ANALYSIS Future F-35 Upgrades Send Program into Tailspin The prospect of expensive future F-35 upgrades prompted the Pentagon to request fewer aircraft in 2023. Had this been done sooner, taxpayers could have saved $2 billion. Read More ANALYSIS Misconduct at CBP Runs Deep, and Congress Must Address this Systemic Problem Serious misconduct is prevalent within Customs and Border Protection, and agency leaders at all levels have shielded officers and agents from facing accountability for their actions for years. Read More LETTER Congress Should Pursue Reforms to Bolster Oversight Capacity Making reforms through the appropriations process would strengthen Congress’s ability to conduct fact-based, bipartisan oversight. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I don’t think they’ve ever been empowered, unfortunately, to do the work that Congress directed them to do.” Tim Stretton, Director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative, in Government Executive WATCHLIST Catch a clip of our director of public policy Liz Hempowicz on MSNBC. ONE LINERS “For a few decades now, we’ve seen DOJ articulating this kind of absolutist stance that close advisors to the president are absolutely immune from congressional subpoena. And it’s worth noting that DOJ has basically invented this out of whole cloth, and it’s certainly not something that Congress agrees with, and it’s not really something that any of the judges who have had an occasion to look at this argument have agreed with either. So they’re pretty much on their own on it, but that’s the line they’ve taken in the past.” David Janovsky, Analyst at The Constitution Project at POGO, in the Hill   “This bill will dramatically improve oversight at the VA by eliminating a longstanding loophole that allows VA employees to escape independent oversight by simply resigning from their post.” Liz Hempowicz, Director of Public Policy, in WBOY   “What’s troubling and should trouble everyone in the American public is that a top administration official had extensive dealings with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, MBS, and has now entered into a business deal that doesn't make any sense. ... It raises the specter here that maybe what MBS is paying for here is something other than the hope of a high return.” Walt Shaub, Senior Ethics Fellow, on Dan Abrams Live   “The real concern here is that the public has no way of knowing exactly what favors someone like Kushner may have done for the Saudis.” Walt Shaub, Senior Ethics Fellow, on Bloomberg News

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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