House Judiciary Democrats are expanding their probe into Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and peace envoy, to scrutinize a luxury resort he wants to build on Albania’s coast — a project that has drawn weeks of protests and allegations that the land beneath it was obtained through a faked deed.

In a letter shared first with MS NOW, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said he has new questions about Kushner’s “suspect real estate practices” and wants him to hand over records tied to the “approval or consideration” of his projects in Albania, including any communications with the U.S. and Albanian governments.

Raskin said Democrats want to determine whether Kushner’s “conduct should be investigated under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” — and whether that statute needs updating. According to a summary by the Department of Commerce, the statute makes it “unlawful for a U.S. person or company to offer, pay, or promise to pay money or anything of value to any foreign official for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business.”

The letter escalates a probe Raskin opened in April into what Democrats called Kushner’s “glaring and incurable conflict of interest”: serving simultaneously as White House peace envoy and leader of a private equity firm backed partly by Gulf sovereign wealth funds. That investigation was also first reported byf MS NOW.

“While acting as our nation’s chief negotiator to end several international conflicts created or exacerbated by your father-in-law’s Administration, you have taken the time to start an international incident all by yourself,” Raskin wrote in the new letter about Kushner’s Albania efforts.

Kushner’s representatives at his investment firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly called Raskin’s request part of “the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade.”

“Jared Kushner’s personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements, which he conducts on a volunteer basis at the President’s request,” Kelly continued, touting what she described as Kushner’s “record of success” on the Abraham Accords and other initiatives.

Kushner announced plans to develop a resort on Albania’s coastline in 2024, as part of an investment by his firm Affinity Partners. But the project has sparked protests in recent months, including in Albania’s capital, stirred by outrage over reportedly violent security guards at the project site and concerns about the potential effect on wildlife, including flamingos, seals and sea turtles.

The project generated more controversy in July, when reports emerged that a businessman — wanted in Albania for money laundering and his alleged role in an international drug-smuggling operation — had faked the deed to the land for the resort. The businessman denied wrongdoing. The Wall Street Journal reported that villagers tried to warn Kushner the land was stolen.

A spokesperson for the Kushner-backed development group told the Journal that the Albanian legal system is “the appropriate venue for resolving questions about land ownership,” but they insisted the “underlying land acquisitions were conducted lawfully.” 

In his letter to Kushner, Raskin wrote that the whole “episode reflects both your essential frivolousness as an erstwhile representative of the United States and the Trump-Kushner family’s overriding and seemingly insatiable appetite for political and financial corruption.” He added, “The government of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, which has long sought to influence American politics, gave you approval, but the Prime Minister could not win the approval of his own electorate for your dream project.”

Kushner, who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, founded the investment firm Affinity Partners in 2021 after serving as a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration. Affinity’s largest and earliest investor, according to The New York Times, is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, put in roughly $2 billion. Sovereign wealth funds tied to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also invested. 

Since Trump returned to the Oval Office last year, Kushner has worked as a U.S. peace envoy, taking part in talks to end conflicts abroad, including with Iran.

In his new letter, Raskin noted that Kushner had not answered the committee’s initial request, which sought his communications with Saudi, Emirati, Qatari or Israeli officials along with financial records detailing Affinity’s investors.

“To give you the benefit of the doubt,” Raskin wrote, “I assume you may have been too distracted and diverted by your repeated failed efforts to negotiate a lasting ceasefire in Iran, Lebanon, or Ukraine to respond.”

Kushner’s team has pushed back on allegations of wrongdoing. In April, Affinity’s chief legal officer told MS NOW that Kushner has complied “with all applicable laws and requirements and has always operated in the best interests of the United States.” A White House spokesperson said at the time that Kushner had “sacrificed time with his family and livelihood” to work on the administration’s initiatives.

As members of the House minority, Democrats have no subpoena power and limited ability to force Kushner to cooperate. That would change if they win control of the chamber in November. Democrats have already made clear they have an extensive list of investigatory targets should they win back control of one or both chambers of Congress — including Kushner.

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