Yes, you read the headline correctly. Jared Kushner’s relatives are donating to Chris Christie’s Presidential campaign. To borrow from The Outer Limits intro. there is nothing wrong with your computer screen. No need to adjust the settings.
We’ve long know there were all kinds of weird dynamics in the Trump family. Hell, the stuff we know about evokes WTF? reactions from us and deep down we know we DON’T know the half of it. More than once both here and at my old hangout over on DK I’ve wondered about the vibe at family gatherings. Early on in the Trump administration Jarvanka hired their own legal counsel and they picked one of the best. And most expensive too. Unlike Trump they’ve always seemed to think paying their legal bills was a smart thing to do and on this they’ve been right. At least they’ve been able to get first class representation. Ok, so Jared blew it with their first DC lawyer, someone on everyone’s shortlist of top white collar lawyers in DC. Jamie Gorelick got fed up and dumped him but being a pro she hooked Jarvanka up with another top lawyer. Probably with an admonishment that pay their bills or not they were in DC now. Making famous, top flight lawyers look bad by blowing off their advice would make it tough to get the kind of legal representation they’d need when the spotlight was shining on Trump World.
Jarvanka DID need top flight representation. Better than any of us they knew if any real digging started they’d have an awful lot of explaining to do. They probably also realized that serious digging into both the Trump and Kushner family businesses was inevitable. But here’s the important thing. Unlike anyone in the Trump family, Jared knew what the inside of a federal prison was like. He’d visited his dad in one enough times to get more of a look than he ever wanted to see. He also knew that bad as that was it could be worse – he could be on his dad’s side of the glass in the visitor’s room! (I think it’s likely wannabe Princess Ivanka heard more about this than she ever wanted to hear long before her daddy decided to run for Prez)
Here’s the kicker though. It was Chris Christie who prosecuted Jared’s dad and put him in prison!
For those who’ve forgotten Christie was once a federal prosecutor up there in NYC and he was good at his job. Had Jared’s dad not been so dickish, and arrogant too Christie would likely have never thought the case was worth investing resource into in the first place. High end real estate developers playing fast & loose with the rules and the law is common in big cities. Someone has to do something that stands out to get federal prosecutors on their butts!
The point though is that Jared’s dad did get himself on the radar and Christie nailed him. And Jared it seems is as capable of carrying a grudge every bit as much as his father-in-law. They say daddy’s girls “marry their daddies” and in some respects Jar-Jar is an awful lot like Trump. Not as smart as he thinks he is. And never forgiving or forgetting a grudge. It was Jared who nixed Christie when Trump was leaning towards making him VP. And Jared who got the well thought out, solid transition plan Christie had created literally tossed in the dumpster, leading to that disastrous and horribly incomplete transition of power from the Obama administration to Trump’s.
Such is the depth of Jared Kushner’s hatred of Chris Christie.
That’s why when I read this story a while ago I couldn’t help but laugh! Jared has all the command presence of a hamster, and him trying to project a sense of rage would be like watching Pee-Wee Herman do so (but it would be funny as hell) but one can be sure his rage is Trumpian in level over this having made news. HIS relatives donating to CHRISTIE? Talk about personal humiliation!
I’ve speculated since the first year of the Trump administration and Jarvanka getting legal representation (and top flight at that) completely separate from Trump World that the family dynamic at get-togethers would be three kinds of weird. As I noted earlier for all we know we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Trump has always pitted subordinates against each other and he’d of course do the same with family members. But having Jared on whom he relied so much (poor Don Jr. & Eric!) and wannabe Princess Ivanka hedging their bets by getting a real and highly competent lawyer that would look after THEIR interests and wouldn’t give two sh*ts about Trump’s interests or any other Trump family member has no doubt created tension.
Now it’s apparent Kushner has the same stuff going on in his own blood family! He may have “saved” the family business by working in the WH and making all those connections. What he sold to the Saudis and others to get his big bailout we’ll never know. Still, there is Kushner family that doesn’t trust him to run the business. Making donations directly to Christie’s campaign is publicly available information. They could have made anonymous donations via a PAC but didn’t. That means there is a clear intention to signal to everyone that the Kushners have their own inter-family war going on.
I always say I take my entertainment where I can find it. And this is something I find pretty damned entertaining.
I’ll tell you what boggles my mind. Jared’s parents were all in for Nikki Haley at one point. I remember reading that and being amazed. Now I read this and my jaw is hanging open.
Wow. Talk about a reset.
It’s like they’re trying to make the word ‘unbelievable’ obsolete.
Maybe someday there will be enough credible, verified stories of the Trump’s and Kushner’s internal family f**kery and inter-family f**kery to make for a full book. I’ve even got a working title: Lord of the Orange Fruit Flies!
If princess is distancing herself from daddy, it makes sense Jar-jar will follow.
Just a nitpick, denis, but that “intro” was from “The Outer Limits,” not “The Twilight Zone.” The “Zone” opening was “You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into the wondrous world of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone.” Well, that’s the more familiar opening, used in most episodes; the first few episodes ran a much longer introduction, but there was never any mention of “no need to adjust your settings.” That was strictly “The Outer Limits.”
Oops. Not the first time I’ve gotten the two mixed up. I suppose I should fix it. Thanks for the catch.
You’re welcome.
But, um, be very careful with mixing up the two. There ARE people out there who take the “Twilight Zone/Outer Limits” debate as seriously as “Star Wars/Star Trek” and “Kirk vs Picard” and “Ginger or Mary Ann” debates. You do NOT want to get on the wrong side of those “fans.” They can be seriously dangerous. They are, however, far more open-minded and willing to consider the other side than your average MAGAt–so, there’s that point in their favor.
I’m old enough to remember watching both shows growing up. Liked them both. I’m not surprised each has a fan base but it’s startling to learn they take their respective shows as seriously as you’ve noted. My view is why can’t both be liked/admired? People wanting to get all hot & bothered by so many comparisons (Beatles vs. the Stones, Star Trek/Kirk vs. Next Generation/Picard, all of it vs. Star Wars, Duke vs. Carolina etc.) I often sit back in wonder. And ask myself why the hell can’t people just enjoy BOTH? It’s entertainment for crissakes! Nothing wrong with having a preference but since we’re talking about entertainment folks should just sit back and allow themselves and others to be entertained.