Are Donald Trump’s Children Under Investigation?

Donald Trump made keeping business and politics within the family a hallmark of his career and presidency. Now out of office, Trump and his adult children face multiple legal investigations related to their business dealings. Several scrutinize the potential criminal liability of Trump’s children.

Which Trump family members are under investigation and for what alleged crimes?

Let’s review the status of probes involving Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and others.

Introduction

Law enforcement investigations pose one of the most serious legal threats to Donald Trump post-presidency. But in addition to Trump himself, authorities are also focused on certain conduct by his children while part of both the Trump Organization and the Trump administration:

• Donald Trump Jr.
• Ivanka Trump
• Eric Trump
• Jared Kushner
• Allen Weisselberg

Probes cover potential financial crimes, misuse of inauguration funds, security clearance issues, and more. The status and scope of these investigations raise many questions.

In this post, we will summarize reported investigative activity focused on Trump’s adult children and their spouses.

Trump Children Entities Under Broad Investigation

Multiple entities linked to Trump’s children fall under two sprawling investigations out of New York:

New York Attorney General

• Investigating financial practices and tax activities of the Trump Organization where Trump’s children serve as executive vice presidents [1].

Manhattan District Attorney

• Subpoenaed records from family trust and business entities long managed by Trump’s children [2].
• Probed Trump Organization roles and compensation for key executives like Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump [3].

These wide-ranging probes suggest scrutiny of the children’s business conduct, although no direct charges have been filed.

Investigation Into Trump Inaugural Committee

The Trump 2017 inauguration fundraising attracted investigators’ attention regarding two of his children:

Southern District of New York

• Subpoenaed records around Ivanka Trump’s role with the Trump inaugural committee [4].

District of Columbia Attorney General

• Sued the inaugural committee alleging funds misuse and enrichment of the Trump family including Ivanka [5].

Though not charged criminally, allegations in the civil suit accuse Ivanka of improper coordination on hotel costs and excessive payments.

Donald Trump Jr. in Legal Crosshairs

Beyond his general involvement with the Trump Organization, Donald Trump Jr. faces questions about several incidents:

Trump Tower Meeting with Russians

• The 2016 meeting he took with Russians offering political “dirt” became a key focus of Mueller’s obstruction investigation [6].

Trump Organization Tax Schemes

• NY prosecutors are reportedly investigating Don Jr.’s role in alleged tax schemes including payroll fraud [7].

Fundraising While in White House

• Complaints alleged Don Jr. improperly solicited contributions for the Trump reelection campaign while an administration adviser [8].

With Don Jr. positioned to take over the Trump Organization, his personal liability poses big risks if proven.

Ivanka Trump Under Scrutiny Too

Beyond inauguration issues, Ivanka Trump’s actions related to the following have faced investigative scrutiny:

Misuse of Personal Emails

• Use of personal email for hundreds of government communications raised accusations of hypocrisy [9].

Financial Disclosures and Security Clearance

• Ethics groups accused Ivanka of misreporting assets and liabilities on financial disclosure forms [10].
• Denials of full security clearance by career officials suggest concerns about her vulnerability to foreign influence [11].

Ivanka claiming ignorance of rules governing White House activities echoes some of her father’s defenses. But it may not protect her from legal jeopardy.

Evidence Against Eric Trump Less Clear

Compared to his siblings, specific concerns around Eric Trump remain more ambiguous:

• He managed the Trump Organization alongside Don Jr. with fewer direct White House entanglements.
• Financial reporting named him as trustee for President Trump’s revocable trust, which funded Trump properties [12].
• No public evidence indicates Eric was a focus of inauguration misuse investigations.

However, Eric’s deep involvement with the Trump Organization still likely exposes him to liability in NY probes.

Jared Kushner’s Mix of Business and Politics

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s overlapping business and administration roles have drawn investigative attention:

Saudi-Linked Investment to Kushner Companies

• He reportedly did not fully disclose a $1 billion-plus Saudi investment into his family business [13].

Inconsistent Financial Disclosures

• Updates to his financial records exposed problematic omissions and misstatements of assets [14].

Foreign Contact Concerns

• Kushner’s wide international business network concerned ethics watchdogs regarding inappropriate influence [15].

While less directly tied to the Trump Organization, Kushner’s finances and foreign ties created ethical red flags.

Conclusion

Donald Trump maintains that his children engaged in no wrongdoing and were integral to his political and business success. But the mounting investigations paint a picture of widespread concerns with potential criminal exposure for Trump’s family.

However, despite troubling accusations, indictments remain hypothetical and the Trumps continue denying intentional malfeasance. With probes advancing steadily, the coming months will determine whether Trump’s children join their father in facing charges.

But already these wide-ranging allegations threaten to dismantle Trump’s dreams of a political dynasty built on his brand and children’s future leadership.

References

[1] https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/donald-j-trump-pays-court-ordered-2-million-illegally-using-trump-foundation

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/nyregion/cyrus-vance-trump-tax-returns.html

[3] https://www.businessinsider.com/law-experts-explain-charges-trump-org-cfo-weisselberg-avoid-2021-7

[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/us/politics/trump-inaugural-committee-investigation.html

[5] https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/Trump-Inaugural-Complaint.pdf

[6] https://www.acslaw.org/projects/the-presidential-investigation-education-project/other-resources/key-findings-of-the-mueller-report/

[7] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/nyregion/trump-organization-fraud-investigation.html

[8] https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/lawsuit-filed-against-donald-trump-jr-for-illegally-soliciting-funds-from-federal-employees/

[9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ivanka-trump-used-a-personal-email-account-to-send-hundreds-of-emails-about-government-business-last-year/2018/11/19/6515d1e0-e7a1-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html

[10] https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/jared-and-ivanka-made-up-to-640-million-in-the-white-house/

[11] https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/28/politics/jared-kushner-security-clearance/index.html

[12] http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/01/08/trump,%20donald.pdf

[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/jared-kushner-saudi-investment-fund.html

[14] https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/jared-kushner-failed-to-disclose-assets-worth-millions-on-first-ethics-form/

[15] https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/jared-kushners-ethics-problems/