Leader IDs ‘irony’ in Trump’s criticism
Balto. Co. executive calls out code violations at Kushner properties
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. called President Donald Trump’s Twitter attacks on Baltimore and the region ironic given the problems associated with properties in the county owned by the family real estate company of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Still the Democratic county executive said Monday he hoped to turn what he called a pile-on into a conversation about solutions.
Trump unleashed several insults on Twitter Saturday against Democratic U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, whom he called a “brutal bully,” and his 7th Congressional District, which includes much of Baltimore but also reaches into Baltimore and Howard counties.
Trump, a Republican, specifically mentioned crime, rats and trash.
But Olszewski noted that the county once had to threaten the Kushner firm to get it to address code violations and other issues at its Baltimore County properties. The Kushner Cos., and its affiliates, own nearly 9,000 rental properties in Maryland, more than 7,200 in Baltimore County alone.
“We had to both threaten significant fines as well as withholding federal payments to ensure there was compliance,” Olszewski said of county efforts in 2017, under his predecessor, Democrat Kevin Kamenetz. “There’s a certain irony in hearing the president attacking a city and region when his own son-in-law was directly involved and his company was directly involved in creating the conditions where that quality of life was threatened.”