Washington Post: Is Jared Kushner illegally coordinating with Kanye West?

08.13.2020 / By Aaron Blake:
Washington Post: Is Jared Kushner illegally coordinating with Kanye West?

The first potential issue, according to Paul S. Ryan of the watchdog group Common Cause, is if Kushner encouraged West to do something proactive that could benefit Trump’s campaign, such as running for office. If Kushner solicited from West what could be valued at more than the legal limit of $2,800, it could be considered an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign. And, given the expense of running campaigns, it seems likely if not guaranteed that West running for office — and expending much more than $2,800 — would violate that law. The second issue is if they coordinated about the campaign — i.e., if Kushner encouraged West to do something specific when it comes to launching or running a campaign. “Any expenditure made by Kanye West in cooperation, consultation or concert with — or at the request or suggestion of — Kushner, an agent of the Trump campaign, would be considered an in-kind contribution from the Kanye West campaign to the Trump campaign,” Ryan said.

Republican operatives around the country are trying to get rapper Kanye West on the presidential ballot. It’s an effort that appears to be — and in some cases has been openly acknowledged to be — aimed at helping President Trump’s reelection bid. That kind of gamesmanship is icky but probably not illegal.

But what about White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner speaking with West? That ventures much closer to dicey territory.

Both West and Kushner have confirmed that they met last weekend in Colorado, amid the effort to get West on the ballot in several key states (while missing some of the most vital ones). Another report indicated that West has said the two speak almost daily. Instantly, some alleged that this is illegal. …

The first potential issue, according to Paul S. Ryan of the watchdog group Common Cause, is if Kushner encouraged West to do something proactive that could benefit Trump’s campaign, such as running for office. If Kushner solicited from West what could be valued at more than the legal limit of $2,800, it could be considered an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign. And, given the expense of running campaigns, it seems likely if not guaranteed that West running for office — and expending much more than $2,800 — would violate that law.

The second issue is if they coordinated about the campaign — i.e., if Kushner encouraged West to do something specific when it comes to launching or running a campaign.

See More: Abuse of PowerCampaign FinanceTrump Administration/Executive Ethics