Who Is Nicole Meyer? Jared Kushner's Sister Uses Brother's Name To Lure Chinese Investors In Family Project

Nicole Meyer, the sister of Jared Kushner, who wields considerable position of influence on President Donald Trump, was in Beijing, China Saturday to raise funds from investors for a $976.4 million Kushner Companies’ residential and commercial project underway in New Jersey.

To lure investors at the event, as reports said, she mentioned Jared Kushner's service as chief executive of Kushner Companies, the family business from which he resigned January, saying he had left to serve in the Trump administration.

Meyer was in China to attract funds from Chinese investors through the U.S. government’s EB-5 visa program, the New York Times reported.

Under the visa program, entrepreneurs (along with their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for a green card if they make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the U.S. and plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.

Read: New Poll Reveal That Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump White House Roles Are Inappropriate

Meyer delivered a sales presentation in Beijing urging Chinese citizens to invest in the project. Her relationship to Jared Kushner was also mentioned during the presentation hosted by Chinese company Qiaowai, the Washington Post reported.

In the Ritz-Carlton ballroom, Meyer spoke about the significance of family values that shaped up Kushner Companies. She mentioned her grandparents who survived the Holocaust, and also how her father, Charles Kushner, founded the company in 1985. He was also imprisoned for illegal campaign donations, tax evasion and witness tampering.

Meyer said: “As children we would spend our Sundays visiting properties with my father and staying up late through the night, by his side, when closing an acquisition.” She added, "Our father taught us about respect for our partners, hard work, dedication and most importantly, perseverance," according to reports.

There was chaos during Meyer's speech as journalists from the Times and the Post were removed from the ballroom. They were told by organizers that it was a "private event", despite it being publicly advertised.

Meanwhile, the Democrats criticized Meyer's sales presentation about the EB-5 investor visa program. They accused her of using Jared Kushner's name to raise funds for the Kushner's family project. Rep. Zoe Lofgren from California, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, also said in an interview Sunday it was “pretty sketchy” for Meyer to make her sales pitch amidst uncertainty of the program's continued existence.

“The fact that she is the sister to the top adviser to the president makes it even worse,” Lofgren said.

The Post was also reported criticism from a former chief White House ethics lawyer from President George W. Bush's administration.

“It’s incredibly stupid and highly inappropriate,” said Richard Painter, who has become a vocal critic of the Trump administration. “They clearly imply that the Kushners are going to make sure you get your visa. . . . They’re [Chinese applicants] not going to take a chance. Of course they’re going to want to invest.”

Kushner Companies however, in an email to the Post Sunday, said it "apologizes if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors. That was not Ms. Meyer’s intention.” The firm also stressed Kushner “stepped away from the company in January and has nothing to do with this project,” which it said would provide $180 million in tax revenue over 30 years.