Kushners won’t buy Miami Marlins if seller nominated as US ambassador

The Kushner family will pull out of a $1.6 billion deal to purchase the Miami Marlins if the team’s current owner is nominated as the United States ambassador to France, as recent reports suggest.

The son-in-law of developer Charles Kushner released a statement on Wednesday night that the family will stop pursuing buying the Marlins if President Donald Trump nominates Jeffrey Loria to the diplomatic role, according to ESPN. The New York Post reported on Wednesday that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has been pushing for Loria’s nomination.

“Although the Kushners have made substantial progress in discussions for us to purchase the Marlins, recent reports suggest that Mr. Loria will soon be nominated by the President to be Ambassador to France. If that is true, we do not want this unrelated transaction to complicate that process and will not pursue it. The Kushners remain interested in purchasing a team and would love to buy the Marlins at another time,” Joseph Meyer, Kushner’s son-in-law, said in the statement.

Charles Kushner, who headed his namesake firm until his 2005 imprisonment for tax evasion and witness tampering, has quietly been taking on a more active role in the business since his son and CEO Jared Kushner left to become a White House adviser. ESPN reported that Charles Kushner was part of the group bidding for the Marlins, while the New York Times has identified Josh Kushner as the lead family member bidding for the team.

Loria, who has been widely criticized as the Marlins owner, bought the team for $158 million in 2002. [ESPN] – Katherine Kallergis