Former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is planning to build a luxury resort in Albania. But the proposed development has been attacked by critics in both the Balkan country and the U.S.Kushner — who launched his private equity firm Affinity Partners after Trump was voted out of office — has been working with Richard Grenell, who was Trump's acting Director of National Intelligence, on plans to develop in both Albania and Serbia. According to a new Washington Post report, the two have been working closely with Albania's "very transactional" prime minister, Edi Rama on plans to develop a section of protected land in the southern European nation.However, environmentalists say Kushner's plans to raze protected acreage in the coastal area of Zvernec could prove to be dangerous to rare flora and fauna and tip the ecosystem out of balance. This includes Patagonia CEO Ryan Zellert, who told the Post he has "huge concerns" about the development.READ MORE: Jared Kushner blasted over new $500 million 'present' from Serbian government"It is a stunning area, unique across the Mediterranean," he said. "And the idea of them developing this, particularly in the absence of a master plan, is a really bad idea."Albania's minister of tourism and the environment, Mirela Kumbaro, told the outlet that "all of Albania is open for potential development." She dismissed concerns from environmentalists, saying that they want the government to "abandon the region forever and to have only the birds. She added that Albania couldn't afford to sacrifice economic progress and leave protected land untouched, particularly as the acreage under environmental protection makes up roughly 21% of Albania's total area.But ornithologist Joni Vorpsi suggested the ecosystem could be significantly harmed by the development, as the vegetation would suck the area dry without birds to feed on it. He reminded the publication that Kushner's resort would require access roads and additional infrastructure throughout the construction process, and all the traffic that comes with it.“It can’t coexist,” he said. “Even if you try to be cautious, there is just so much disturbance.”READ MORE: Senate Dems open investigation into Jared Kushner's 'lucrative' foreign business dealsAside from the concerns raised by environmentalists, anti-corruption activists are also sounding the alarm about the development. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) accused Kusher — who is married to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka — of trading on his relationship to the former president in order to fuel his own business interests.In a June letter, Wyden asked an Affinity official to shed light on the ex-president's son-in-law, writing that he had concerns about the high percentage of Kushner's business coming from foreign sources. He added that it "creates an appearance that Affinity’s investors are motivated not by commercial interests of seeking a return on investment, but rather by strategic considerations of foreign nationals seeking to funnel money to U.S. individuals with personal connections to former President Trump."Kushner has countered that nothing about what he's done is illegal under statutes in both the U.S. and the Balkan nations he does business with, and that soliciting foreign investment isn't inherently corrupt."A lot of people [leave the public sector and] they kind of sell their services, you know, based on their relationships," Kushner told the Post. I" didn’t want to do that. I’ve always been an investor.”READ MORE: 'Corrupt': Jared Kushner's overseas business deals under fire as Trump runs for president

An analyst who once served as an advisor to former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign is now in the crosshairs of the FBI, and he's since taken to Russian state media to rail against President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice.Citing the Rappahannock News, the Guardian reported that the FBI recently conducted a raid on the Huntly, Virginia home of Dmitri Simes, who was named more than 100 times in DOJ special counsel Robert Mueller's 2018 report. While it remains unknown what the FBI was seeking in its raid, the Rappahannock News confirmed with the agency that it was indeed "conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity" on the 132-acre property that Simes bought in 2021 for $1.63 million. Real estate site Zillow now estimates the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom, 8,577 square-foot house to be worth more than $2.2 million.In an interview with Russian state-run media outlet Sputnik News, Simes son, Dmitri Jr. said is father has not been in the U.S. since 2022. He also suggested the raid was politically motivated.READ MORE: (Opinion) Trump hides the worst scandal in America history in plain sight"The Biden regime is terrified of being called out over Ukraine and Israel," Simes Jr. tweeted. "Elements of [the] Biden regime are trying to disrupt any possibility for deescalation with Russia and plunge America into World War III."The elder Simes — who hosts a talk show on Russian state-run media outlet Channel One — told Sputnik that the raid was "clearly is an attempt to intimidate, not only somebody from Russia, but just anyone who goes against official policies and particularly against the deep state.""My suspicion is that instead of trying to get me to come to the United States and to interrogate me or even to arrest me, their real purpose is to make sure that I would not come back," he added.Simes is reportedly close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Russian media outlet Tass reporting that he attended a closed-door meeting with Putin in June. The Russian pundit also moderated a conversation with Putin at an economic forum in St. Petersburg last year. Previously, the Senate Finance Committee investigated Simes over his purported connections to Russian spy Maria Butina, who infiltrated MAGA circles during Trump's administration in efforts to set up a communications backchannel between Trump and Moscow.READ MORE: Even Trump allies worried after Russia's foreign minister 'praised' JD Vance: reportsAccording to the Guardian, Simes — who emigrated to the U.S. from Moscow in 1973 — served as an informal policy advisor to Trump's 2016 campaign after a meeting earlier that year with Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law). He reportedly advised the ex-president on a speech he wrote emphasizing greater cooperation between Washington and Moscow.Prior to his work with Trump, Simes was an informal foreign policy advisor to former President Richard M. Nixon. He went on to lead the public policy think tank, the Center for the National Interest, which Nixon launched in 1994. Simes retired from the think tank in 2022.Russian state media has leaned in on its support of Trump, even after he was convicted on 34 felony charges earlier this year. Russian pundit Dmitry Kulikov, who hosts "Solovyov Live," complained, "They wronged our Donald Trump" after the verdict. He and other Russian propagandists were openly hoping for a hung jury.Click here to read the Guardian's report in full.READ MORE: 'Working hard for Russia': MTG mocked over proposing US reps backing Ukraine aid fight in the war

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