'Really bad idea': Why critics are coming out against Jared Kushner’s resort in Albania

3 months ago 4

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Former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is planning to build a luxury resort in Albania. But the proposed development has been attacked by critics in both the Balkan country and the U.S.

Kushner — who launched his private equity firm Affinity Partners after Trump was voted out of office — has been working with Richard Grenell, who was Trump's acting Director of National Intelligence, on plans to develop in both Albania and Serbia. According to a new Washington Post report, the two have been working closely with Albania's "very transactional" prime minister, Edi Rama on plans to develop a section of protected land in the southern European nation.

However, environmentalists say Kushner's plans to raze protected acreage in the coastal area of Zvernec could prove to be dangerous to rare flora and fauna and tip the ecosystem out of balance. This includes Patagonia CEO Ryan Zellert, who told the Post he has "huge concerns" about the development.

"It is a stunning area, unique across the Mediterranean," he said. "And the idea of them developing this, particularly in the absence of a master plan, is a really bad idea."

Albania's minister of tourism and the environment, Mirela Kumbaro, told the outlet that "all of Albania is open for potential development." She dismissed concerns from environmentalists, saying that they want the government to "abandon the region forever and to have only the birds. She added that Albania couldn't afford to sacrifice economic progress and leave protected land untouched, particularly as the acreage under environmental protection makes up roughly 21% of Albania's total area.

But ornithologist Joni Vorpsi suggested the ecosystem could be significantly harmed by the development, as the vegetation would suck the area dry without birds to feed on it. He reminded the publication that Kushner's resort would require access roads and additional infrastructure throughout the construction process, and all the traffic that comes with it.

“It can’t coexist,” he said. “Even if you try to be cautious, there is just so much disturbance.”

Aside from the concerns raised by environmentalists, anti-corruption activists are also sounding the alarm about the development. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) accused Kusher — who is married to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka — of trading on his relationship to the former president in order to fuel his own business interests.

In a June letter, Wyden asked an Affinity official to shed light on the ex-president's son-in-law, writing that he had concerns about the high percentage of Kushner's business coming from foreign sources. He added that it "creates an appearance that Affinity’s investors are motivated not by commercial interests of seeking a return on investment, but rather by strategic considerations of foreign nationals seeking to funnel money to U.S. individuals with personal connections to former President Trump."

Kushner has countered that nothing about what he's done is illegal under statutes in both the U.S. and the Balkan nations he does business with, and that soliciting foreign investment isn't inherently corrupt.

"A lot of people [leave the public sector and] they kind of sell their services, you know, based on their relationships," Kushner told the Post. I" didn’t want to do that. I’ve always been an investor.”

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