In a likely preview of probes that they plan to launch if they take control of the upper house of Congress in January, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report Friday documenting potential conflicts of interest for U.S. President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner in the Middle East.
The 10 senators said that the report examines “the administration’s handling of taxpayer money, its lack of compliance with congressional funding laws and the growing link between American foreign policy and the private financial interests of those shaping it.”
In 2025, “Trump’s real estate businesses reported approximately $38 million in licensing and management fees associated with Trump-branded developments in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman, many of which have connections to governments in the region,” the senators said.
The Qatari deals fell in the same time frame, the report said, as the announcement that Trump would accept a Boeing 747-8 aircraft from Qatar, valued at approximately $400 million, to serve as a version of Air Force One.
Trump has hinted that the plane will be transferred to his presidential library after his second term.
The report challenges Trump and his administration on the U.S.-led Board of Peace, formed to tackle difficult issues related to peace in Gaza. Trump, according to the charter, is to continue serving as board chair after his presidential term ends and until he decides to step down.
“Despite serving as its chair and attempting to reallocate taxpayer funding to the Board of Peace, President Trump did not establish any of the financial monitoring and personnel-vetting procedures normally required before providing U.S. funding to an international organization,” the report alleged.
“Administration officials also could not answer whether U.S. funds could be used to personally compensate Trump during or after his presidency,” the senators wrote.
The Senate Democrats also took issue with the procedure by which Board officials are granted immunity, absent a treaty or other authorization approved by Congress.
“The prospect of a current U.S. president directing taxpayer dollars and foreign government contributions to an institution he could control after his presidency ends, while potentially shielding that institution, and potentially himself as the chairman, from certain legal proceedings, raises substantial questions about conflicts of interest, financial accountability and the potential for private financial benefit,” the report said.
“The same people charged with negotiating an end to President Trump’s disastrous war with Iran and securing vital U.S. interests in the Middle East have millions of dollars in personal business interests linked to foreign governments across the region,” the senators added.
The report challenged Kushner’s financial relationships with multiple Gulf governments while he has “participated in dozens of sensitive U.S. negotiations involving Gaza, Iran and other Middle Eastern issues, all matters that affect the governments that financed his firm, and his firm’s capital continues to grow.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the committee, signed off on the report, as did Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
Trump and other Republicans, and some analysts, have said that Democrats will try to overwhelm the Trump administration with hearings and investigations if Trump’s opponents take control on Capitol Hill.
Democrats are also likely to go after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some politicians and analysts told JNS.
