You’d see a lot more of Ivanka, Tony ...oh, and her best friend Wendi, too
IF TONY Blair joins Jared Kushner’s Middle East peace team, it will bring him into close contact with Mr Kushner’s wife, Ivanka, Donald Trump’s powerful daughter.
There will be one topic that Mr Blair will be keen to avoid in any dealings with Ivanka: her best friend Wendi Deng.
In 2013, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Mr Blair and Ms Deng, then married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, had a series of meetings, including overnight stays at Mr Murdoch’s homes, without his knowledge.
A furious Mr Murdoch filed for divorce after finding out about the meetings and a note, apparently written by Ms Deng to herself, which suggested she had ‘warm feelings’ for Mr Blair comparable to a ‘crush’.
Mr Blair, happily married to barrister and part-time judge Cherie, and Ms Deng strenuously denied any improper behaviour.
In August, Ivanka posted a photograph of herself and Ms Deng on holiday in Croatia. The following month, they were together in the VIP box at the US Open tennis championship at Flushing Meadow.
They sat beside billionaire music mogul David Geffen, also a friend of Mr Blair. One of the meetings between Ms Deng and Mr Blair that enraged Mr Murdoch was on a super yacht owned by Mr Geffen.
The friendship between Ms Deng and Ivanka is thought to go back several years. In 2008, Ms Deng, at the time still married to Mr Murdoch, reportedly intervened when Ivanka’s relationship with Mr Kushner faced difficulties.
According to a magazine, Ms Deng invited the couple to Mr Murdoch’s yacht Vertigo to help them patch things up.
Mr Blair just avoided bumping into Ms Deng when he met Mr Kushner at a gathering of media and political power brokers in Aspen, Colorado six months ago.
A witness said: ‘Jared, Wendi, Ivanka and Blair were there but Tony and Wendi did not meet.’