Celebrity lawyer Arthur Aidala walked straight into ridicule on live TV after trying to brush off Jared Kushner’s billions, gleaned from Trump-adjacent business deals.
Appearing on CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip, Aidala—known for defending Harvey Weinstein during a rape retrial—argued it was actually “refreshing” to know Trump’s son-in-law was openly raking in money while also quietly shaping U.S. policy.
The ethical questions of Kushner’s profits in the Middle East have come as he acts as an adviser to Team Trump on Israel’s peace negotiations with Hamas.
“Going back to Jared Kushner for a second, I actually think it‘s refreshing that we know he‘s making all of this money,” he said. The panel erupted in laughter.
Aidala doubled down as chuckles rolled across the table. “Okay. Let me just… how does Chuck Schumer, who has been in government his whole life, have hundreds, tens of millions of dollars?” The laughter only got louder.
“People in government make money all the time behind the scenes. All the time,” Aidala insisted.
Phillip pivoted, but not to save him. She threw a graphic on screen showing just how much Kushner’s foreign investments had ballooned: $500 million in Oman, $555 million in Jeddah and Riyadh, another $500 million at Trump Tower Dubai, and $500 million at Trump International Golf Club—totaling well over $5 billion.
Ana Navarro, co-host of The View, pounced. “But the grift we know. But at least we know it’s refreshing,” she quipped, echoing Aidala’s doomed defense.
When Navarro pressed that the scale of Kushner’s haul remains “out of public view” thanks to a lack of congressional oversight, Aidala melted down, talking over guests and sputtering out excuses.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also triggered over the same matter.
She was asked about whether it was appropriate for Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, to be involved in government business.
“How did the White House decide that it is appropriate for Jared Kushner to be working on matters that involve Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, three countries that combined have given him more than $2.5 billion for his investment firm?” asked New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh.
“I think it’s frankly despicable that you’re trying to suggest that it’s inappropriate for Jared Kushner, who is widely respected around the world and has great trust and relationships with these critical partners in these countries, to strike a twenty-point comprehensive detailed peace plan that no other administration would ever be able to achieve,” Leavitt declared.
She then spent more than a minute lavishing praise on Trump’s son-in-law and touting the president’s Gaza plan.
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