Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 19 March 2018

AP Exclusive: Kushner Cos. filed false NYC housing paperwork

By BERNARD CONDON rent-regulated tenants. In-
NEW YORK (AP) — When stead, tax documents show
the Kushner Cos. bought there were more than 300
three apartment buildings rent-regulated units. Nearly
in a gentrifying neighbor- all the permit applications
hood of Queens in 2015, were signed by a Kushner
most of the tenants were employee, including some-
protected by special rules times the chief operating
that prevent developers officer. Had the Kushner
from pushing them out, rais- Cos. disclosed those rent-
ing rents and turning a tidy regulated tenants, it could
profit. have triggered stricter
But that's exactly what the oversight of construction
company then run by Jar- crews by the city, includ-
ed Kushner did, and with ing possibly unscheduled
remarkable speed. Two "sweeps" on site by inspec-
years later, it sold all three tors to keep the company
buildings for $60 million, from harassing tenants and
nearly 50 percent more getting them to leave.
than it paid. Instead, current and for-
Now a clue has emerged mer tenants of the Queens
as to how President Don- buildings told the AP that
ald Trump's son-in-law's firm they were subjected to ex-
was able to move so fast: tensive construction, with
The Kushner Cos. routinely This photo shows apartment buildings in the Astoria section of Queens, N.Y. The Kushner Cos. rou- banging, drilling, dust and
tinely filed false paperwork with the city declaring it had zero rent-regulated tenants in dozens of
filed false paperwork with buildings it owned across the city, including these, when it, in fact, had many of them. leaking water that they be-
the city declaring it had (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) lieve were part of targeted
zero rent-regulated ten- harassment to get them to
ants in dozens of buildings a tenants' rights watchdog by independent counsel, construction permit appli- leave and clear the way
it owned across the city that compiled the work per- and "if mistakes or viola- cations in 2015 that indicat- for higher-paying renters.
when, in fact, it had hun- mit application documents tions are identified, correc- ed the buildings had zero "It was noisy, there were
dreds. While none of the and shared them with The tive action is taken immedi- rent-regulated tenants. Tax complaints, I got mice," said
documents during a three- Associated Press. "The fact ately." records filed a few months mailman Rudolph Romano,
year period when Kushner that the company was "Kushner would never deny later showed the company adding that the Kushner
was CEO bore his personal falsifying all these applica- any tenant their due-pro- inherited as many as 94 Cos. tried to increase his
signature, they provide a tions with the government cess rights," it said, adding rent-regulated units from rent by 60 percent, an ac-
window into the ethics of shows a sordid attempt to that the company "has ren- the previous owner. cusation the company
the business empire he ran avert accountability and ovated thousands of apart- In all, Housing Rights Ini- denied. "They cleaned the
before he went on to be- get a rapid return on its in- ments and developments tiative found the Kushner place out. I watched the
come one of the most trust- vestment." with minimal complaints Cos. filed at least 80 false whole building leave." Tax
ed advisers to the president Kushner Cos. responded over the past 30 years." applications for construc- records show those rent-
of the United States. in a statement that it out- For the three Queens build- tion permits in 34 buildings regulated units that num-
"It's bare-faced greed," sources the preparation of ings in the borough's Astoria across New York City from bered as many as 94 when
said Aaron Carr, founder such documents to third neighborhood, the Kushner 2013 to 2016, all of them Kushner took over fell to 25
of Housing Rights Initiative, parties that are reviewed Cos. checked a box on indicating there were no by 2016.q
McCabe kept memos on Trump dealings

By ERIC TUCKER provided to the special and possible obstruction of They also recount different he says had declared "war"
Associated Press counsel's office and are justice. conversations he had with on the FBI and Mueller's in-
WASHINGTON (AP) — An- similar to the notes com- McCabe's memos include Comey, who kept notes on vestigation. They almost
drew McCabe, the one- piled by dismissed FBI chief details of his own interac- meetings with Trump that certainly contain, as Com-
time FBI deputy director James Comey, The Associ- tions with the president, unnerved him. ey's memos did, previously
long scorned by President ated Press has learned. according to a person Though the precise con- undisclosed details about
Donald Trump and just fired The memos could factor with direct knowledge of tents are unknown, the encounters between the
by the attorney general, into special counsel Robert the situation who wasn't memos possibly could help Trump administration and
kept personal memos de- Mueller's investigation as authorized to discuss the substantiate McCabe's as- FBI that could be of interest
tailing interactions with the his team examines Trump notes publicly and spoke sertion that he was unfairly to Mueller.
president that have been campaign ties to Russia on condition of anonymity. maligned by a White House q