特朗普女婿庫什納與商界的關(guān)系再次受審查
賈里德•庫什納(Jared Kushner)的商界關(guān)系正受到新的審查，此前有消息稱，在庫什納與華爾街一些高管會(huì)面后，這些高管所在的公司向庫什納家族的地產(chǎn)集團(tuán)發(fā)放了貸款，銀行監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)也就這類關(guān)系對(duì)其他銀行進(jìn)行了問話。
Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser met Joshua Harris, co-founder of the private equity group Apollo Global Management, and Michael Corbat, chief executive of the US bank Citigroup, while Mr Kushner was in the White House last year, said people familiar with the matter.
知情人士表示，唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)的女婿兼顧問庫什納去年在白宮期間，會(huì)見了私人股本集團(tuán)阿波羅全球管理公司(Apollo Global Management)的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人喬舒亞•哈里斯(Joshua Harris)及美國花旗集團(tuán) (Citigroup)的首席執(zhí)行官邁克爾•科爾巴(Michael Corbat)。
Apollo and Citigroup subsequently extended loans to Kushner Companies to help finance real estate in Chicago and Brooklyn, respectively.
隨后，阿波羅和花旗集團(tuán)分別為庫什納集團(tuán)(Kushner Companies)提供了貸款，為其在芝加哥和紐約市布魯克林的房地產(chǎn)融資。
A spokesman for Mr Kushner’s attorney said on Thursday that his client had “met with hundreds of business people during the campaign, transition and in the administration to hear ideas about improving the American economy. He has had no role in the Kushner Companies since joining the government and has taken no part of any business, loans, or projects with or for the companies after that.”
周四，庫什納的律師的發(fā)言人表示，庫什納“在競(jìng)選、交接和執(zhí)政期會(huì)見了數(shù)百名商界人士，聽取他們有關(guān)改善美國經(jīng)濟(jì)的想法。自從到政府任職后，庫什納就不再參與庫什納集團(tuán)的事務(wù)，再?zèng)]有為該集團(tuán)的任何經(jīng)營(yíng)、貸款和項(xiàng)目事務(wù)效力或牽線。”
Citigroup said Mr Corbat had not been involved in the transaction, and that the bank had dealt exclusively with RFR Realty, Kushner Companies’ joint venture partner on the loan. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance similarly said Mr Harris was not involved in the decision to extend the Chicago loan, “which went through the firm’s standard approval process”.
花旗集團(tuán)表示，科爾巴并未參與這筆放款，花旗在這筆貸款上僅與庫什納集團(tuán)的合資伙伴RFR Realty打交道。阿波羅商業(yè)地產(chǎn)金融公司(Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance)也表示，哈里斯沒有參與芝加哥項(xiàng)目的放款決定，“這一決定走的是公司的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)審批程序。”
Since he joined the president in the White House as a senior adviser, Mr Kushner has recused himself from the day-to-day running of the family business. However, ethics experts said the contacts with the financial chiefs, first reported by the New York Times, raised new questions about potential conflicts of interest.
自從以高級(jí)顧問的身份加入白宮后，庫什納就回避了其家族企業(yè)的日常運(yùn)營(yíng)。然而，倫理問題專家稱，率先由《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》(New York Times)披露的庫什納與金融大佬們的接觸，再次提出了關(guān)于潛在利益沖突的問題。
“The optics are not good here,” said Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project On Government Oversight. “The public is left wondering if subsequent loans were the spoils of promises or impartiality that might be paid at some point down the road. This problem is the direct result of keeping one foot in the White House and the other foot in Wall Street.”
“這件事給人的觀感不好。”獨(dú)立監(jiān)督機(jī)構(gòu)“政府監(jiān)督項(xiàng)目”(Project On Government Oversight)的總法律顧問斯科特•埃米(Scott Amey)說，“公眾在琢磨，后續(xù)的那幾筆貸款是否對(duì)某些許諾或優(yōu)待的獎(jiǎng)賞，是否或許會(huì)在未來某個(gè)時(shí)候得到回報(bào)。這個(gè)問題是由一只腳踩在白宮，另一只腳踩在華爾街直接導(dǎo)致的。”
New York’s financial regulator has asked Deutsche Bank and two local lenders — Signature Bank and New York Community Bank — for details about their dealings with Mr Kushner and the property group.
紐約州的金融監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)已要求德意志銀行(Deutsche Bank)及兩家本地銀行——Signature Bank和紐約社區(qū)銀行(New York Community Bank)——提供它們與庫什納及庫什納集團(tuán)的往來細(xì)節(jié)。
In letters last week, first reported by Bloomberg, the state’s Department of Financial Services — run by Maria Vullo, an appointee of Andrew Cuomo, New York’s Democratic governor — requested information about loans the banks made to the Kushners.
上周，在由彭博社(Bloomberg)首先報(bào)道的一些信件中，由紐約州民主黨州長(zhǎng)安德魯•庫默(Andrew Cuomo)任命的瑪麗亞•武洛(Maria Vullo)執(zhí)掌的紐約州金融服務(wù)管理局(Department of Financial Services)要求這幾家銀行就其向庫什納集團(tuán)發(fā)放的貸款提供信息。
The regulator, which has a remit to ensure the safety and soundness of financial companies in New York, is seeking the details in part over questions it has about the concentration of the banks’ loan books, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
一位知情人士表示，這家以確保紐約州金融公司的安全和健康為職責(zé)的監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)之所以索要這些細(xì)節(jié)，部分原因就是它對(duì)這些銀行貸款賬簿的集中程度有疑問。
Kushner Companies is behind a wide range of property developments in the New York metropolitan area, including the Watchtower building in Brooklyn, a retail condominium on Times Square and a 53-storey luxury rental tower in Jersey City.
庫什納集團(tuán)在紐約大都會(huì)區(qū)擁有眾多地產(chǎn)開發(fā)項(xiàng)目，其中包括布魯克林的瞭望塔大樓(Watchtower)、時(shí)代廣場(chǎng)的一套零售共管公寓、以及澤西市一座53層的豪華出租大樓。
Kathleen Clark, law professor at Washington University, said it was unclear whether the contacts with the financial leaders violated government ethics rules in part because it was unclear exactly what had been discussed. Citigroup said its chief executive “never discussed” the transaction with Mr Kushner.
華盛頓大學(xué)(Washington University)法學(xué)教授凱瑟琳•克拉克(Kathleen Clark)表示，目前尚不清楚庫什納與金融界領(lǐng)袖的接觸是否有違政府的倫理規(guī)定，部分原因在于不清楚雙方討論的確切內(nèi)容。花旗集團(tuán)表示，其首席執(zhí)行官“從未(與庫什納)討論過”這筆貸款。
Congress was unlikely to investigate, Ms Clark added. “Congress could care, if Congress was controlled by people who cared.”
克拉克補(bǔ)充道，國會(huì)不太可能進(jìn)行調(diào)查。“國會(huì)可能會(huì)在乎此事——如果它是由在乎此事的人控制的話。”
The spokesman for Mr Kushner’s attorney added: “He has followed the ethics advice he has received for all of his work, which include the separation from his business and recusals when appropriate.”
庫什納的律師的發(fā)言人還說：“他在所有工作中一直遵循收到的有關(guān)倫理的建議，包括不再參與他公司中的事務(wù)，并在適當(dāng)情況下回避。”
Citigroup added: “The loan we closed in last March was to a joint venture of which Kushner Companies is a less than 50 per cent partner.
花旗集團(tuán)還稱：“我們?nèi)ツ?月放出的貸款是給一家合資企業(yè)的，庫什納集團(tuán)在這家合資企業(yè)持股不到50%。
“While Kushner Companies has been a Citi client for years, we dealt exclusively with RFR Realty, the other partner in the joint venture, on this loan.”
“雖然庫什納集團(tuán)多年來一直是花旗的客戶，但我們?cè)谶@筆貸款上只與該合資公司的另一股東RFR Realty聯(lián)系。”
Kushner Companies, Deutsche, New York Community Bank and the DFS did not comment. Signature said: “By law, we cannot disclose regulatory or legal inquiries.”
庫什納集團(tuán)、德意志銀行、紐約社區(qū)銀行與紐約州金融服務(wù)管理局不予置評(píng)。Signature Bank稱：“根據(jù)法律，我們不能披露監(jiān)管或法律方面的調(diào)查情況。”
Additional reporting by Javier Espinoza 哈維爾•埃斯皮諾薩(Javier Espinoza)補(bǔ)充報(bào)道
