Deutsche Bank said to probe Kushner’s money transfers
NEW YORK – Deutsche Bank is reportedly investigating the finances of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, over irregular money transfers made by him, his company and business associates.
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority for Germany is also said to be in possession of related documents that it is expected to send to US special prosecutor Robert Mueller, according to German publication Manager Magazin, which broke the story on Saturday.
Mueller is currently heading an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections and has already made several arrests of individuals involved in the Trump campaign.
The bank reportedly received a subpoena from Mueller last year and has been cooperating with the investigation, according to the International Business Times website.
The case places an uncomfortable spotlight on Deutsche Bank’s leadership, including chairman of the supervisory board Paul Achleitner and bank CEO John Cryan, who have prioritized stamping out suspicious activity within the company over the past several years.
While most media scrutiny has been focused on possible “collusion” allegations between the president and the Russian government, reports are beginning to shift toward possible illegal financial dealings involving Trump and his company.
Compounding this notion is the recent release of Michael Wolff’s salacious new tome Fire an d Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which quotes former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon as openly worrying about the supposed financial irregularities connected with the Trump empire.
“You realize where this is going,” Bannon is quoted in the book as saying. “This is all about money laundering.”
CNN reported on Wednesday that Bannon struck a deal with Mueller’s team, agreeing to cooperate fully by answering questions from US federal prosecutors instead of testifying in front of a grand jury.
Indictments against Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gate were handed down by the special prosecutor in October over money laundering allegations.