Jared Kushner Tried To Get Qatari Billionaire To Invest In Midtown Tower: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — After failing to secure financing for a Midtown Manhattan office tower from Chinese and — allegedly — Russian investors, the real estate firm led by President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly turned to a billionaire from a third country at odds with the United States: Qatar.

Kushner Companies sought a $500 million loan from Qatari investor Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani to help refinance 666 Fifth Avenue — which Kushner Companies acquired in 2007 for a record $18. billion — The Intercept reported, citing three "well-placed sources with knowledge of the near transaction."

The billionaire also known as "HBJ" was ready to loan Kushner the $500 million through his investment firm "Al Mirqab" — also the named of the Qatari's $300 million yacht – but the deal fell through when Kushner Companies failed to secure the rest of the money needed to refinance the Midtown tower, The Intercept reported. Talks between HBJ and Kushner Companies occurred as recently as this spring, months after Trump won the presidency and Kushner became a key player in the White House, according to the report.

Kushner's willingness to deal with Qatari investors contrasts with the White House's approach to the Persian Gulf state. In June, President Trump took to Twitter to celebrate — and take some credit for — several Middle East countries cutting relations with Qatar for funding terrorism.

Shortly afterward, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for Gulf states to ease their blockade against Qatar, citing humanitarian concerns.

Kushner's past attempts at securing funding from overseas investors for 666 Fifth Avenue have become national news since Trump's presidential victory and Kushner's elevation to a senior White House role. In March the New York Times reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee was looking into interactions between Kushner and Sergey Gorkov, the chief of Russian state-controlled bank Vnesheconombank.

The United States placed sanctions on Vnesheconombank when Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed the territory of Crimea from Ukraine, the Times reported. The bank's supervisory board is controlled by Putin's cronies, and Gorkov himself was appointed to his position by Putin, CNN reported.

China's Anbang Insurance Group backed out of a reported $4 billion development deal with Kushner Companies for 666 Fifth Avenue, the Associated Press reported.

In addition to serving as senior adviser to the president, Kushner is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, and the couple have three children together.

Read The Intercept's full report here.

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