Jared Kushner: Multi-talented son-in-law 'plays the role' of advisor

(Baonghean) - Playing an important role throughout the election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has just been appointed by his father-in-law to the position of senior advisor to the White House. If officially approved, Jared Kushner will work alongside Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, becoming the trio of effective assistants to the US President for the next 4 years.

Jared Kushner and his wife have always appeared and played an important role in Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. Photo: Getty

From real estate expert to senior advisor

Born in 1981, Jared Kushner - Ivanka Trump's husband, is the son of the founder of the Kushner Companies real estate investment organization, Mr. Charles Kushner. Mr. Charles is also a major philanthropist and a sponsor who has made many contributions to the Republican Party. The Kushner family is an Orthodox Jewish family in the state of New Jersey. After graduating from Harvard University and New York University with a master's degree in business administration, Jared Kushner began to show his family's qualities in the real estate industry.

In 2006, at the age of 26, Jared Kushner became famous for his purchase of the office building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York for a record price of 1.8 billion USD. According to The Real Deal - a New York real estate newspaper, this was the highest-priced building purchase in US history up to that time. Then, in 2008, at the age of 28, Jared officially took over his father's huge business, because Mr. Charles was entangled in a legal case related to tax evasion. In 2009, Jared Kushner married Ivanka Trump - daughter of billionaire Donald Trump.

Although he has no experience in politics or diplomacy, nor does he hold any official position in his father-in-law's presidential campaign strategy, Jared is always the person Trump trusts to consult. With what he has shown, observers believe that Jared has the ability to solve problems neatly and quietly. In fact, Jared is the one who advises and looks for a person to take on the position of communications director for his father-in-law's presidential campaign, or even advises on choosing a Vice President.

Not only that, with his Jewish roots, Jared also helped his father-in-law write a "smooth" speech to connect the relationship between Mr. Trump and Jewish leaders at the recent US-Israel Joint Affairs Committee. A series of other incidents and tasks, big and small, such as firing former presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, reconciling with Fox News, even writing articles to defend Mr. Trump in the press..., all had the participation of son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Both legal and beneficial entanglement

With his outstanding performance in recent times, Jared Kushner would certainly not have been criticized by the public when he was nominated for the position of senior White House advisor, if he were not the son-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump. Immediately after this decision was announced, a series of concerns about legal, ethical and conflict of interest issues were raised. First of all, the US has had an anti-nepotism law since 1967, which prohibits officials from appointing family members to positions in organizations and departments that the official is managing.

Based on this law, Democratic congressmen who are also members of the US House Judiciary Committee have just sent a letter calling on the Justice Department and the Office of Government Ethics to reconsider the appointment of Mr. Jared Kushner by the President-elect. However, Jarred Kushner's lawyer said that this law does not apply to the Office of the President and the position of advisor is not in the cabinet, and is not paid. In addition, the US Constitutional Court itself has issued a ruling stating that the White House is not an "agency" subject to the regulations on appointing relatives. Therefore, Mr. Trump's son-in-law can completely take on the new task at the White House.

Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump - daughter of President-elect Donald Trump. Photo: Daily Mail

However, like his father-in-law, Jared Kushner is suspected of having major conflicts of interest when working in the White House. Because both Mr. Trump and his son-in-law Jared own and run large family businesses. Mr. Trump himself has had to announce a series of measures such as handing over the management of the company to his children, and even being "completely separated" from all activities related to his personal company. However, suspicions of abusing the power of a President for personal purposes have not yet diminished. Therefore, the fact that his son-in-law Jared Kushner follows his father-in-law to the White House is also facing similar suspicions.

To broaden public opinion, Mr. Jared's lawyer announced that he would leave the family business, stop his role as publisher of the New York Observer newspaper, as well as give up ownership of some assets, if he officially takes on the role of senior advisor at the White House. In a recent move, Mr. Jared also announced that he would sell a series of assets to "clean up" his record and avoid future conflicts of interest as the public fears.

With such careful preparation, it is likely that Mr. Jared Kushner will still become the White House's senior advisor in charge of Trade and the Middle East as planned. However, observers believe that the path of the US President's son-in-law will not be easy. Because President-elect Donald Trump and his son-in-law may have business experience in common; but they are completely "inexperienced" in politics. Whether the approach and behavior of businessmen in the market will be effective in politics or not is a difficult question to answer.

Khang Duy