Ken Kurson

Ken Kurson, a close friend of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was taken into federal custody on Friday October 23 2020 and charged with cyberstalking in connection with his divorce. Mr. Kurson, who now runs a media company and works in the cryptocurrency industry, helped write a speech for the president’s 2016 campaign. When Mr. Kushner owned The New York Observer, the weekly newspaper, he appointed Mr. Kurson to be its editor in chief in 2013. Mr. Kurson was also a longtime associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and the former New York City mayor. Ken Kurson was the Editor-In-Chief of the New York Observer and Editorial Director of Observer Media. He has written for Esquire, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Money, Forbes and countless other publications. May 2017, he left The Observer for a job as a senior managing director at Teneo, an international consulting firm whose founders include two longtime advisers to former President Bill Clinton. Prior to joining Observer Media, Kurson co-authored with former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani of Leadership. Published in October 2002, Leadership became an immediate best seller, spending twenty-five weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, including five at Number One. Kurson was also the founder and editor-in-chief of Green magazine, which he sold to Nasdaq listed financial publishing company Bankrate in 1999. Mr. Kurson resigned as editor of The Observer in 2017. During his four years there, the newspaper endorsed Mr. Trump for president as Mr. Kurson advised his campaign. While editing the newspaper, Mr. Kurson sat in the Trump family box at the Republican National Convention. Mr. Kurson also helped run Mr. Giuliani’s presidential campaign in 2008 and wrote a book with him about leadership. In 2018, Mr. Kurson created a website called Modern Consensus, which focuses on cryptocurrency and blockchain news. After leaving The Observer, he also joined the board of directors of Ripple, a cryptocurrency company. The criminal investigation began after the Trump administration offered Mr. Kurson a seat in 2018 on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal body that distributes grants to museums, libraries and other cultural institutions. As part of the routine background check for the position, the F.B.I. uncovered allegations of harassment against Mr. Kurson. He withdrew from consideration for the post shortly afterward