Kushners to back away from Marlins bid

[February 16, 2017]    (Reuters) - The Kushner family, relatives of U.S. President Donald Trump through son-in-law Jared Kushner, said on Wednesday they will not pursue the purchase of the Miami Marlins if current owner Jeffrey Loria is nominated as U.S. ambassador to France.

Jared Kushner, senior advisor to President-elect Donald Trump arrives for the Presidential Inauguration of Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool

There were reports last week that the Kushner family were in talks to purchase the Marlins for $1.6 billion.

“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,” the statement said.

“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.”

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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