Top Democrat investigates Jared Kushner's investments; ICE reviewed millions of voter records

A prominent Democratic lawmaker has initiated an investigation into Jared Kushner's financial dealings, following a CNN report last week. Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Kushner's investment firm, Affinity Partners, seeking detailed information about its business activities in the Middle East. The inquiry stems from revelations that Affinity Partners is a significant shareholder in an Israeli company whose investments include businesses involved in Israel's military campaigns. Democrats are examining whether Kushner's financial gains have created conflicts of interest, particularly given his past role as an unofficial Middle East envoy for the Trump administration and a prior $2 billion investment his firm received from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

Concurrently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reviewed tens of millions of voter records as part of a broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation to identify alleged noncitizen voters. This initiative, aimed at uncovering voter fraud ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) acquiring extensive datasets from the Justice Department and other "independent sources" linked to a senior DHS counselor. Critics have raised concerns that ICE lacks legal authority for such a broad collection of voter data, and that these efforts risk undermining privacy rights and potentially disenfranchising eligible voters.