Mexico’s honor for Kushner criticized

President’s son-in-law to receive the Order of the Aztec Eagle

TIJUANA, Mexico — Mexico’s plan to bestow the country’s highest honor for foreigners on Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump and an adviser, has generated harsh words from critics who called the traderelated move inappropriate.

Government officials said Tuesday Kushner would receive the Order of the Aztec Eagle “for his significant contributions” to a preliminary new trade deal reached in September between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The deal, to be called U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, would update the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump threatened to scrap because he said it unfairly benefited Mexico.

“Mr. Kushner’s participation was decisive in the beginning of the process of renegotiating NAFTA, and in preventing the United States’ unilateral exit from the treaty,” the Mexican government said in a statement.

The preliminary deal requires approval by legislators in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. Kushner is close with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray.

Outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was expected to bestow the honor on Kushner at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires this week. President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office Saturday.

The government’s decision to honor an official in the Trump administration stunned many in Mexico, which has endured repeated attacks by Trump since the first day of his presidential campaign.