Jon Kushner, cousin to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is considering a run for New York City mayor, a person familiar with the young businessman’s thinking told Gawker. “He’s always had political ambitions, but he’s not an asshole,” the person said. “They’re the good Kushners.”
Here is a theory: Jared Kushner blocked Chris Christie from becoming Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee as revenge for his father.
in 2007, real estate mogul Charles Kushner—father to New York Observer owner Jared Kushner and father-in-law to Trumpspawn Ivanka Trump—attended a business meeting accompanied by executives from Kushner Properties. At the other end of the table was none other than Anna Gristina, known these days as the Manhattan Madam.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is 28 today. Fox News chief Roger Ailes is turning 69. Chazz Palminteri is 57. Jasper Johns is 79. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright is turning 72. Current Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is turning 61. The founder of Essence Communications, Ed Lewis, is 69. Sportscaster Dan Patrick is 53. Ahmet Zappa is turning 35. Brian Eno is 61. Former football player Emmitt Smith is turning 40. Learning Annex founder Bill Zanker is 55. And actor David Charvet, better known as the father of Brooke Burke's kids, is 37. Weekend birthdays—including that of Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Charles Kushner—below.
Recognize these spotlight-loving criminal defense attorneys? Their identities (and some of their more notable clients) after the jump.
♦ No official confirmation yet, but media insiders say David Gregory has been tapped to take over as host of Meet the Press. [Politico]
♦ It's rumored Carine Roitfeld is replacing Anna Wintour at Vogue. [Gawker]
♦ A former employee of Charles Kushner is accusing him of funneling cash from his real estate empire to prop up Jared Kushner's Observer. [Daily Intel]
♦ Harvey Weinstein owes Cindy Adams $10,000. [NYP]
♦ Condé Nast has shuttered its social networking site Flip.com. [Gawker]
♦ CBS is producing a new hidden camera show with Ashton Kutcher. [NYT]
♦ Katie Couric has a new haircut, in case you haven't noticed. [HuffPo]
♦ Arianna Huffington's how-to book for aspiring bloggers. [Jossip]
♦ Ever fantasized about having lunch with Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel? You can—for $2,500. [NYO]
Did you know the Observer is subsidized by an illicit slush fund? It shamefully is, according to a lawsuit filed by the former president of one of the Kushner Companies. When developer Charles Kushner bought a $1.8 billion office tower, he routed $18 million back to himself as commission on the mortgage, then allegedly siphoned $5 million off that for son Jared's cash-bleeding weekly newspaper.
Apparently Yahweh has forgiven Charles Kushner—real estate magnate, recently released felon, and Observer publisher Jared's father—for the whole "getting his brother-in-law a prostitute, filming their encounter, and sending the tape to his sister" blackmail thing. But, according to Charles, He has not forgiven his sister for ratting on Charles to the Feds. Or, in Charles' words: "For instigating a criminal investigation and being cheerleaders for the government and putting their brother in jail because of jealousy, hatred and spite." God did not return multiple phone calls and an email before press time.
Aww! New York Observer publisher and Ivanka Trump-lover Jared Kushner's dad Charles, who sponsored the work visa for then-Jersey gov Jim McGreevey's supposed Israeli lover-employee, has now hired his buddy McGreevey's new boyfriend to be the Kushner family corporation's chief investment officer! [NY Post]
On the Howard Stern show yesterday, Donald Trump noted that, according to a listener, his daughter "Ivanka was dating a 'very rich guy—not as rich as me, but a very rich guy' from a 'real estate family.'" Translation: That is basically a blessing from the goyim for New York Observer publisher Jared Kushner! ("Rich"="good.") Anyway, that's exactly the kind of Trumpism that we imagine gets the hackles up on Jared's daddy, New Jersey kingpin (and good pal of gay American Jim McGreevey) Charles Kushner. But hey, the real estate union of Jersey Jared and Manhattan Ivanka is good for everyone for now—just like an arranged marriage between little empires! Though we still don't think it's remotely possible that Jared will ever marry the shiksa. Prove us wrong, you adorable lovebirds! We want to believe.
New York Observer owner Jared Kushner and his dad, convicted felon Charles, sell off nearly $2 billion in New Jersey real estate in order to focus on "fewer properties but larger transactions" in New York City. To the rest of New York's real estate families, though, they'll always be bridge and tunnel. [Star-Ledger]
If you're lucky enough to be on the Kushner Companies' Christmas card list, you'll have received this lovely holiday missive, along with - wonders of synergy! -a one year subscription to the New York Observer, "purchased on your behalf by your friends at the Kushner Companies." (Wow, we hope they got a deal on that.) While the best part of this gift is that they may not even have to fulfill the whole year's order, we are comforted to know that at least all of Pa Kushner's pals in the joint will be able to enjoy the continuing adventures of George & Hilly during those long prison nights.
So there's not much of a Senatorial race here in New York, what with Hilary Clinton looking pretty close to be the first candidate to ever receive more the one hundred percent of the vote. Across the river, however, it's a different matter: Sen. Bob Menendez is locked in a tough battle with Tom Kean, Jr., a state senator and son of a popular former governor. What's making the race unusually tight is the sense that Menendez, is, well, sort of dirty in the way that pretty much all Jersey politicians are. Fuelling that perception is Chris Christie, a Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney who announced "an investigation—61 days before voters go to the polls—into a nonprofit agency connected to Mr. Menendez." Democrats are predictably apoplectic, charging Christie with political motives. But what sort of prosecutor is he? The Observer lists some of his recent targets:
Charles Kushner — convicted tax evader, prostitute dispatcher, and father of new Observer owner Jared Kushner — was released from his New Jersey halfway house last week. He wasn't exactly serving hard time, of course. However, it turns out that Kushner was originally sent to a prison camp at Alabama's Maxwell Air Force Base, but in addition to time off for good behavior, Kushner got his sentence further reduced by completing an alcohol abuse program. This raised a few eyebrows among those that knew him, since his drinking problem was news to them. The emancipated Kushner decamped to his Long Branch mansion for the Labor Day weekend, and was supposedly set to return to work at his real estate company, Kushner Cos., as of yesterday — though it's unclear what he'll be doing there, since he stepped down as chairman before going to jail. Something tells us he'll be taking back the big chair and knocking back a few stiff drinks by Friday. If you spot Charlie in the office, let us know.
So Charles Kushner, the disgraced real estate mogul and father of new Observer owner Jared Kushner, will be released from his halfway house this Saturday, where he's spent the past 100 days of his two-year prison sentence. Make no mistake, Kushner's still been serving hard time:
We asked about the pending prison release of Charles Kushner, father of New York Observer owner Jared Kushner. A reader pointed us to the charming Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator, which tracked down Kushner p re with ease. Charles has a projected release date of Saturday, August 26. The reader explains:
You might recall that developer and Democratic bagman Charles Kushner, father of new New York Observer owner Jared Kushner, was sentenced to two years' incarceration for "18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations," not to mention hiring a hooker to seduce his brother-in-law, thus punishing Kushner's sister for cooperating with investigators. However, our crowded penal system can only hold so many billionaires, so Kushner the elder has been living at a Newark halfway house, with an expected release in "late August." If Charles Kushner does indeed walk early (we're assuming he's getting parole, time served, etc. — heard anything?), we hope he gets a column at the Observer. He could tell us about life on the inside, and all the twisted schemes he had to create just for survival's sake. Just like in Prison Break, only with work release and movie night.
