Counterintelligence officials warned senior White House advisor Jared Kushner in early 2017 that his longtime friend and high profile Chinese-American businesswoman Wendi Deng Murdoch may have exploited their relationship to advance Beijing’s interests.
The officials’ concern stemmed from Murdoch’s involvement in lobbying for the construction of a Chinese government funded monument near the White House, which was derailed due to security concerns, according to The Wall Street Journal. The $100 million arboretum has been in the works for over a decade but was abruptly stalled after officials suggested the planned 70 foot tower might be used for nefarious surveillance purposes. Chinese embassy officials maintain the project is still underway, though there is no construction currently taking place.
The officials did not provide Kushner with any specifics related to Murdoch’s efforts, according to sources familiar with the conversation, which was part of a larger effort to educate the political novice about the potential risks of associating with influential foreigners.
Murdoch, the ex-wife of News Corp. executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, is a longtime friend of Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, as evidenced by numerous social media posts featuring the group attending parties and traveling together.
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President Donald Trump also served as a trustee for an estate established by Murdoch for her children until 2016.
Ivanka and Kushner “have been friends with Rupert and Wendi Murdoch for a decade before coming to Washington and their relationship is neither political nor about China,” a spokesman for the pair told WSJ.
Murdoch’s spokesman denied any involvement in the Chinese monument project, telling TheWSJ she “has no knowledge of any FBI concerns or other intelligence agency concerns relating to her or her associations.” He added that she “has absolutely no knowledge of any garden projects funded by the Chinese government.”
As the daughter of a factory director, Murdoch moved to the U.S. from China to attend Yale University before returning to China to work for News Corp., where she met Murdoch. Since that time she has helped broker deals between News Corp. and the Chinese government, often negotiating with high profile Chinese politicians. As such, she fits the profile of an influential Chinese national exploiting U.S. ties to advance Chinese interests.
She first came on the U.S. intelligence radar following rumors that she had become romantically involved with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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