Top Democrats request AG Garland appoint special counsel to investigate Kushner

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the House Oversight Committee's ranking member, requested on Thursday in a formal letter that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appoint a special counsel to investigate former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his investment firm.

The two Democrat leaders wrote in the letter to Garland that there is evidence Kushner has "acted as an unregistered foreign agent of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act. 

"By his own admission, Mr. Kushner is actively advising former President Trump’s campaign while being paid at least $80 million by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments since June 2021," read the letter. "There is also evidence that Mr. Kushner is secretly advising the Saudi government on U.S. foreign policy in a manner that undermines the official objectives of the U.S. government."

The lawmakers wrote in the letter that "DOJ precedent supports the appointment of a Special Counsel in investigations of high- profile U.S. government officials or senior political figures."

They said that Kushner’s "proximity to President Trump and the potential for political interference warrants the appointment" of a special counsel.