Kushner Companies nearing bailout deal with Qatar-linked firm: report

Kushner Companies is reportedly nearing an agreement that would give control of one of its most prominent properties to a company with links to the Qatari government. 

The New York Times reported Thursday that Kushner Companies, which is owned by the family of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, is close to a deal with Brookfield Properties on the fate of the financially troubled building at 666 Fifth Ave. in Midtown Manhattan.

{mosads}Brookfield is a Canadian-based, publicly traded company, but one of its largest shareholders is the Qatar Investment Authority, according to the Times.

The newspaper reported that Brookfield and the Qatar Investment Authority have collaborated on several projects and also both control an office complex in London.

According to the Times, as part of the buyout, Brookfield would take over the building on Fifth Avenue and invest hundreds of millions of dollars on renovating it.

Representatives for Kushner Companies and Brookfield both declined to comment on the deal to the Times.

Kushner resigned as head of Kushner Companies when he joined the Trump administration last year, but retains a stake in the firm.

In 2016, he and his father, Charles, were reportedly close to a separate deal with a Chinese firm and a Qatari billionaire that would have involved replacing the building at 666 Fifth Ave. with a luxury tower. 

He has come under scrutiny over whether his business ties present a conflict of interest.

Kushner, who is President Trump’s son-in-law, has taken on a bevy of initiatives in the White House, including Middle East peace, relations with Mexico and prison reform.

The Washington Post reported earlier this year that foreign officials in the United Arab Emirates, China and elsewhere discussed how to use Kushner’s business interests and lack of foreign policy experience to their advantage in negotiations.

Kushner had his security clearance downgraded in February, along with dozens of other White House staffers who had been working on interim clearances.