Trump Administration Troubles: Son-In-Law Kushner's Dealing With Qatar

It's been a bad week for Jared Kushner, possibly the worst. The White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law lost his security clearance.

Now, an even more shocking a story about massive loans he's sought and their links to Qatar. Loans that are now being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller.

According to a report by NBC News on Friday, these dealings are also now a key line of inquiry for Mueller's probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

According to The Intercept, Kushner's family-run real estate company tried to seek Qatari government financing for its troubled New York City property a month before Kushner backed a blockade on the gulf kingdom.

Kushner Cos. directly solicited investment from Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi for it's 666 Fifth Avenue luxury tower in April 2017, two sources in the finance industry told The Intercept. No deal came of it.

In an email statement, Kushner Cos. spokeswoman Chris Taylor denied such brokering attempts occurred. "To be clear, we did not meet with anyone from the Qatari government to solicit sovereign funds for any of our projects. To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and false."

The following month, Kushner and the White House supported a blockade of Qatar organized by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 

Due to the crisis, alliances in the region have shifted, with Qatar—which holds the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East—aligning more closely with Iran and Turkey.

Kushner resigned as CEO of Kushner Cos. when he joined the White House and left his father, Charles Kushner, to run the business. 

It was Charles Kushner who met with al-Emadi, along with their aides, in a St. Regis New York hotel suite in April, according to The Intercept. 

The meeting ran for half an hour, and they discussed the potential investment. Conversations continued the next day at a conference room at 666 Fifth Avenue, but al-Emadi was not present, The Intercept said. 

It is important to note, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped an inquiry of Apollo Global Management.

The SEC inquiry stated there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, but the timing of the deal raises further questions about Kushner's ability to navigate potential conflicts of interest.