特朗普女婿库什纳与商界的关系再次受审查

Jared Kushner is under new scrutiny over his business connections after it emerged he met top Wall Street executives before their companies extended loans to his family property group, and banking regulators question other lenders about their ties.

贾里德•库什纳(Jared Kushner)的商界关系正受到新的审查，此前有消息称，在库什纳与华尔街一些高管会面后，这些高管所在的公司向库什纳家族的地产集团发放了贷款，银行监管机构也就这类关系对其他银行进行了问话。

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，唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)的女婿兼顾问库什纳去年在白宫期间，会见了私人股本集团阿波罗全球管理公司(Apollo Global Management)的联合创始人乔舒亚•哈里斯(Joshua Harris)及美国花旗集团 (Citigroup)的首席执行官迈克尔•科尔巴(Michael Corbat)。

Apollo and Citigroup subsequently extended loans to Kushner Companies to help finance real estate in Chicago and Brooklyn, respectively.

随后，阿波罗和花旗集团分别为库什纳集团(Kushner Companies)提供了贷款，为其在芝加哥和纽约市布鲁克林的房地产融资。

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，库什纳的律师的发言人表示，库什纳“在竞选、交接和执政期会见了数百名商界人士，听取他们有关改善美国经济的想法。自从到政府任职后，库什纳就不再参与库什纳集团的事务，再没有为该集团的任何经营、贷款和项目事务效力或牵线。”

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”.

花旗集团表示，科尔巴并未参与这笔放款，花旗在这笔贷款上仅与库什纳集团的合资伙伴RFR Realty打交道。阿波罗商业地产金融公司(Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance)也表示，哈里斯没有参与芝加哥项目的放款决定，“这一决定走的是公司的标准审批程序。”

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.

自从以高级顾问的身份加入白宫后，库什纳就回避了其家族企业的日常运营。然而，伦理问题专家称，率先由《纽约时报》(New York Times)披露的库什纳与金融大佬们的接触，再次提出了关于潜在利益冲突的问题。

“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.”

“这件事给人的观感不好。”独立监督机构“政府监督项目”(Project On Government Oversight)的总法律顾问斯科特•埃米(Scott Amey)说，“公众在琢磨，后续的那几笔贷款是否对某些许诺或优待的奖赏，是否或许会在未来某个时候得到回报。这个问题是由一只脚踩在白宫，另一只脚踩在华尔街直接导致的。”

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.

纽约州的金融监管机构已要求德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)及两家本地银行——Signature Bank和纽约社区银行(New York Community Bank)——提供它们与库什纳及库什纳集团的往来细节。

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)首先报道的一些信件中，由纽约州民主党州长安德鲁•库默(Andrew Cuomo)任命的玛丽亚•武洛(Maria Vullo)执掌的纽约州金融服务管理局(Department of Financial Services)要求这几家银行就其向库什纳集团发放的贷款提供信息。

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，这家以确保纽约州金融公司的安全和健康为职责的监管机构之所以索要这些细节，部分原因就是它对这些银行贷款账簿的集中程度有疑问。

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.

库什纳集团在纽约大都会区拥有众多地产开发项目，其中包括布鲁克林的瞭望塔大楼(Watchtower)、时代广场的一套零售共管公寓、以及泽西市一座53层的豪华出租大楼。

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.

华盛顿大学(Washington University)法学教授凯瑟琳•克拉克(Kathleen Clark)表示，目前尚不清楚库什纳与金融界领袖的接触是否有违政府的伦理规定，部分原因在于不清楚双方讨论的确切内容。花旗集团表示，其首席执行官“从未(与库什纳)讨论过”这笔贷款。

Congress was unlikely to investigate, Ms Clark added. “Congress could care, if Congress was controlled by people who cared.”

克拉克补充道，国会不太可能进行调查。“国会可能会在乎此事——如果它是由在乎此事的人控制的话。”

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.”

库什纳的律师的发言人还说：“他在所有工作中一直遵循收到的有关伦理的建议，包括不再参与他公司中的事务，并在适当情况下回避。”

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.

花旗集团还称：“我们去年3月放出的贷款是给一家合资企业的，库什纳集团在这家合资企业持股不到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.”

“虽然库什纳集团多年来一直是花旗的客户，但我们在这笔贷款上只与该合资公司的另一股东RFR Realty联系。”

Kushner Companies, Deutsche, New York Community Bank and the DFS did not comment. Signature said: “By law, we cannot disclose regulatory or legal inquiries.”

库什纳集团、德意志银行、纽约社区银行与纽约州金融服务管理局不予置评。Signature Bank称：“根据法律，我们不能披露监管或法律方面的调查情况。”

Additional reporting by Javier Espinoza 哈维尔•埃斯皮诺萨(Javier Espinoza)补充报道