The Kushner family has a "handshake agreement" to buy the Miami Marlins MLB team from owner Jeffrey Loria, but new reports rumoring Loria for the French ambassadorship could turn that deal on its head, The Washington Post reports.
Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is not directly involved in the pursuit of the Marlins, although his brother (and Ivanka Trump's brother-in-law) Joshua Kushner is. Joshua Kushner is perusing the deal with Joseph Meyer, who is married to a Kushner sister.
That's where things get complicated. The New York Post reports that President Trump has "signed off" on making Loria the French ambassador after being pushed by his chief of staff, Reince Priebus. But "if that is true, we do not want this unrelated transaction to complicate that process and will not pursue it," Meyer told The Washington Post. "The Kushners remain interested in purchasing a team and would love to buy the Marlins at another time."
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Loria was reportedly seeking $1.6 billion for the baseball team. Kushner and Meyer were apparently in the process of looking into raising funds to complete the deal.
Adding to the complications is the fact that Loria donated at least $125,000 to Trump's campaign, raising possible issues of quid pro quo. But if Loria is made the French ambassador, he will be the second sports team owner with such an honor in the Trump administration — Jets owner Woody Johnson was announced as the ambassador to the United Kingdom last month.
It might be a relief for MLB, too: The organization reportedly had concerns about a team being tied to closely to Trump.
