Special prosecutor Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating White House aide Jared Kushner's financial transactions with foreign nations during the Trump transition — and not just with Russia.
Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio to explain what Mueller may be looking for and what it all may mean.
"We know why Russians wanted Trump. Why was Trump receptive to that?" Kayyem asked.
Kayyem charged that foreign businesses sought to buy influence with Kushner not because of his business dealings (such as his property holdings in Manhattan, including a tower at 666 5th Avenue he famously bought right before the 2008 financial crash which is now mired in debt.) They hoped, Kayyem believes, that having the ear of the president's son-in-law might result in American foreign policy being changed in their favor.
"These countries are not stupid. They know why they are paying the Kushners. They are not paying them because they have a lot of confidence in 666 5th Avenue. They are paying them for better foreign policy," she said.
Juliette Kayyem is the CEO of ZEMCAR, host of the SCIF podcast, a professor at the Kennedy school, and a WGBH and CNN contributor. To listen to her interview in its entirety, click the audio player above.
