Sara Murray, Shimon Prokupecz, and Kara Scannell, at CNN, have a story about U.S. counterintelligence investigating an Ivanka Trump business deal.
US counterintelligence officials are scrutinizing one of Ivanka Trump's international business deals, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The FBI has been looking into the negotiations and financing surrounding Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, according to a US official and a former US official. The scrutiny could be a hurdle for the first daughter as she tries to obtain a full security clearance in her role as adviser to President Donald Trump.
...
The FBI has been looking closely at the international business entanglements of both Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, to determine whether any of those deals could leave them vulnerable to pressure from foreign agents, including China, according to a US official.
The development -- a 616-foot beacon dotting the Vancouver skyline and featuring a trademarked Ivanka Trump spa -- opened in February 2017, just after Trump took office.
The Trump Organization does not own the building. Instead, like other Trump projects, it receives licensing and marketing fees from the developer, Joo Kim Tiah. A scion of one of Malaysia's wealthiest families, Tiah runs his family's Canada-based development company Holborn Group. President Trump's June financial disclosure form said the Trump Organization made more than $5 million in royalties and $21,500 in management fees from the Vancouver property.
Exclusive: FBI counterintel investigating Ivanka Trump business deal, Sara Murray, Shimon Prokupecz and Kara Scannell, CNN
The Vancouver tower was one of the first of the family’s non-U.S. properties to open after Trump became president, sparking interest because President Trump had handed over the running of his empire to his family members, but did not divest himself of his ownership.
At the time, American reporters were looking into Trump’s dealings with Russia and ownership of individual units at Trump properties around the world.
Using assessment and land title records, Postmedia published an extensive look at a mix of well-heeled buyers in Vancouver, including U.S. tech billionaires as well as successful, local entrepreneurs, who paid to snap up condo units at the Trump property.
“Like some of Mr. Trump’s other properties, the Vancouver development raises the risk of violating the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution prohibiting elected officials from receiving benefits from foreign governments. The hotel also invites scrutiny of his business partners such as the elder Mr. Tiah, who was convicted of providing a false report to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.”
FBI investigating Ivanka Trump's dealings and financing of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver: report, Joanne Lee-Young, Vancouver Sun
[N]o American president before Mr. Trump has given such an underqualified son or daughter a White House post, and Ms. Trump’s tenure demonstrates why.
Ivanka Trump: Brand Building at the White House, New York Times Editorial Board