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By Katherine Fung
Senior Writer
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Some Democrats want to see an investigation into Jared Kushner's foreign business dealings now that Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been charged by federal prosecutors.
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, Democratic fundraiser Jon Cooper and MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan have all called for Kushner to be investigated over his ties to Saudi Arabia in the wake of Biden's plea deal.
On Tuesday, court filing from the Justice Department revealed that Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and reached a deal with federal prosecutors to have a third felony gun charge resolved.
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The announcement of Biden's plea deal sent shockwaves through Washington, with Republicans arguing that the "sweetheart deal" indicated that the Justice Department was going soft on Biden, despite indicting former President Donald Trump on 37 criminal charges earlier this month, regardless of the fact that Trump appointed the judge who offered the deal to the President's son. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the department's probe into his mishandling of confidential records.
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Kushner has been the subject of Democratic scrutiny since a firm formed by Kushner received a $2 billion investment from the Saudi government shortly after he left the White House. The Saudi funds have raised questions as to whether Kushner's personal finance interests influenced foreign policy while he served as a senior adviser in the Trump White House.
Newsweek reached out to Kushner for comment.
Responding to Biden's plea deal, Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, argued that the development was proof that the Justice Department is an independent institution that follows "the evidence of actual crimes" and is not politically motivated in its pursuits, as Republicans have suggested.
The Democrat also criticized the GOP fury, accusing Republicans on House panel of using the plea deal to "wail[...] about the work of a Trump appointed U.S. Attorney."
"Meanwhile, our colleagues have refused to investigate Jared Kushner and Donald Trump's receipt of billions of dollars from autocratic regimes after handing them a string of outrageous policy favors and concessions," Raskin said in a Tuesday statement.
The oversight committee, under Democratic leadership, opened an inquiry into the Saudi investment last year, but the probe ended with the last congressional session. Although current committee chair, GOP Representative James Comer, said that an investigation into Kushner's ties to Saudi Arabia would still be "on the table" under a Republican-controlled House.
Cooper echoed Raskin's comments on Twitter, saying, "I have no problem with Hunter Biden having been charged. I have a HUGE problem with Jared Kushner still NOT being charged. That's the real double standard here."
MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan also agreed, tweeting, "Will 'dictator' Joe Biden now appoint a prosecutor to investigate Jared Kushner? Isn't that what should happen now, per the GOP view of the world? Right? Right??"
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