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White House adviser Jared Kushner listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a White House press briefing, April 2, 2020. (AP/Alex Brandon, File)
(AP/Alex Brandon, File)
Report: Jared Kushner returns to Trump’s inner circle
Meanwhile, Trump’s transition team is currently vetting candidates for key national security positions.
Jared Kushner has returned to closely assist his father-in-law Donald Trump in building the new administration, reports Israel Hayom.
During Trump’s previous term, Kushner served as a senior adviser and emerged as a pivotal figure in securing Israel’s security, most notably orchestrating the Abraham Accords, which established historic diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
However, it’s not clear if Kushner will take a prominent role in Trump’s next administration, with the Financial Times reporting he will not return to the White House but could serve in an outside advisory capacity on Middle East policy.
Sources familiar with the matter indicate Kushner may leverage his established relationships with senior officials in the Gulf states and Israel to advance the administration’s diplomatic goals, particularly in expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia.
Since leaving Washington, Kushner has focused on private ventures, establishing Affinity Partners, a $3 billion investment fund backed largely by Gulf sovereign wealth funds.
It has drawn scrutiny from Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden, who questioned whether Kushner’s financial ties represent a compensation scheme designed in part to skirt federal disclosure requirements.
Kushner maintains his company follows all regulations.
As for Trump’s daughter Ivanka, she still wants to have an impact on public life without getting too much involved come January.
“I expect that we could see Ivanka work with tech leaders and talk about child safety on the internet, as well as her concerns about child trafficking, that’s the kind of thing she concentrated on in the White House,” a source close to the family tells Page Six. “I think we’ll see her utilize her power in that way.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s transition team is currently vetting candidates for key national security positions.
Victoria Coates, a former National Security Council official, and Miguel Correa, a retired major general who worked with Kushner on the Abraham Accords, are reportedly under consideration for Middle East-focused roles.
Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany, is being considered for Secretary of State or National Security Adviser, while Mike Pompeo and Congressman Mike Waltz may take charge over the Pentagon.