Jared Kushner Owns Baltimore Apartments "Infested" with Rodents, Molds and Worms

Donald Trump has described the Baltimore-based Elijah Cummings Congress District as a "rodent-infested mess" in which "no humans" would want to live, in a viral tweetstorm Saturday.

His criticism sparked a particular irony in Baltimore County, where President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, owns more than a dozen apartment buildings that have been cited for hundreds of years. Code violations and which, according to critics, provide unhealthy housing to low-income people. the tenants.

In an interview Saturday, Baltimore County Executive, John Olszewski Jr., condemned Mr. Trump's remarks, described as "attacks against fundamental decency".

"It is certainly ironic that the president's son-in-law has been complicit in contributing to some of the negligence the president claims to be so concerned about," said Olszewski, a Democrat.

The Kushner companies, which started operating in Maryland in 2013, have nearly 9,000 rental units in 17 complexes, most of them in Baltimore County, in the northwestern United Kingdom. Baltimore Sun reported earlier this year.

Properties generate at least $ 90 million in revenue per year. Kushner stepped down as CEO of the company in 2017, when he became a senior White House advisor.

A spokesman for the company did not answer Sunday whether the group agreed with Trump's characterization of the region, but wrote: "Kushner companies are proud to have thousands of apartments in the Baltimore area. "

In 2017, Baltimore County officials revealed that the apartments owned by Kushner Cos were responsible for more than 200 code violations, all accumulated during the calendar year.

The repairs were made only after the county threatened to pay fines, local officials said, and even after warnings, violations on nine properties were not processed, resulting in monetary penalties. .

In a survey of New York Times and Pro Publica Earlier this year, tenants at Kushner Cos properties reported mouse infestations, mold problems and worms.

A private investigator who investigated Kusher's property management company, Westminster Management, described them as "slum lords".

Christine Taylor, a spokeswoman for Kushner Cos, said at the time that the group was in compliance with all state and local laws.

The Baltimore County Executive, Kevin Kamenetz, said that it was "a part of truth".

"We expect all homeowners to comply with code requirements that protect the health and safety of their tenants, even if their father-in-law is president of the United States," said Kamenetz, who pbaded away. in 2018.

Shannon Darrow, a program manager with the tenants 'advocacy group, Fair Housing Action Center of Maryland, said Sunday that she was "dismayed" by Trump's comments on Mr. Cummings' district. which includes about half of Baltimore City, and most blacks. sections of Baltimore County.

She added that she found the Trump attacks ironic given the legacy of Mr. Kushner's properties in the district.

"Fundamentally, [Mr Kushner] has created a race to the bottom in terms of poorly maintained properties, "she said. "He was very, very involved."

Over the past two years, Kushner Cos and its affiliated entities have been repeatedly sued by residents of the Baltimore area, who allege that the company has charged them excessive fees and used the threat of death. expulsion to force them to pay.

From 2013 to 2017, companies badociated with Kushner Cos Apartments applied for the civil arrest of 105 former tenants – the highest number among all property managers in Maryland during this period. Baltimore Sun reported.

"We recently learned that working families were falling prey to Mr. Kushner and his company," Olszewski said.

A group of tenants recently attempted to file a clbad action alleging illegal leasing by the company. But their claim was denied by a Baltimore Circuit Court judge.

Washington Post