Jared Kushner's family business sues New Jersey city, claiming anti-Trump bias

Jared Kushner's family business is suing Jersey City, New Jersey, claiming the construction of one of the company's projects there is being delayed due to "political animus" toward President Trump.

Kushner is Trump's son-in-law, and stepped down as head of Kushner Cos. in January 2017 when he became a Trump adviser. The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday, and alleges the city "put politics over principle" when it refused to give the Kushner Cos. a tax break for the twin-tower project One Journal Square. Kushner Cos. had wanted a 30-year tax break, but after Kushner's sister, Nicole Meyer-Kushner, went to China and showed investors marketing material tying the company to the White House, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said the city would oppose the break.

In April, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency said the developers of One Journal Square were in default, having missed the deadline to start construction. Kushner Cos. is suing to stop the city from ending the project's contract and seeking to declare the default notice as null and void, The Associated Press reports. Fulop said in an email the Kushners do not "have a great deal of credibility in anything they say. The same way they illegally use the presidency to make money is the same way here they try to use the presidency to be pretend victims. They will do anything to manipulate a situation."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up