White House press secretary Sean Spicer was on the defensive in his Monday afternoon press conference when speaking about President Donald Trump’s travel ban appeal and the Kushner family’s attempt to recruit Chinese investors for an “investor visa” program. He said “[Kushner] wasn’t involved.”
A recent sales pitch by White House adviser Jared Kushner's sister to potential Chinese investors that centered on a controversial visa program came "very, very close to solicitation of a bribe," a former presidential ethics adviser told NBC News.
Addressing crowds in Beijing and Shanghai Sunday, Kushner Companies invited wealthy foreigners to invest in a New Jersey real estate project through a so-called "golden visa" program that fast-tracks green card applications for those who invest at least $500,000 in U.S. development. The event was hosted by a Chinese immigration firm and featured Nicole Meyer, who name checked Kushner, her brother.
"This is corruption, pure and simple," said University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter, an attorney for President George W. Bush.
On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Kushner has divested from his family firm and had "nothing to do" with the investor recruitment, and Meyer said through a representative that she was sorry if anyone misinterpreted her mention of her brother.
