Jared Kushner: The multi-talented son-in-law 'plays the role' of advisor.

(Baonghean) - Playing a crucial 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 a senior White House advisor position. If officially confirmed, Jared Kushner will work alongside Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Chief of Strategy Steve Bannon, becoming a trio of invaluable assistants to the US President for the next four years.

Jared Kushner and his wife were always present and played an important role in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Photo: Getty

From real estate expert to senior advisor

Born in 1981, Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump, is the son of Charles Kushner, founder of the real estate investment firm Kushner Companies. Charles Kushner is also a major philanthropist and donor who has made significant contributions to the Republican Party. The Kushner family is a predominantly Orthodox Jewish family from New Jersey. After graduating from Harvard University and New York University with MBAs, Jared Kushner began demonstrating his family's aptitude for the real estate industry.

In 2006, at the age of 26, Jared Kushner made headlines with his record-breaking purchase of the office building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York for $1.8 billion. According to The Real Deal, a New York real estate publication, this was the most expensive building sale in US history at the time. Then, in 2008, at the age of 28, Jared officially took over his father's vast business empire, as Charles Trump was embroiled in legal troubles related to tax evasion. In 2009, Jared Kushner married Ivanka Trump, daughter of billionaire Donald Trump.

Despite having no political or diplomatic experience, and holding no official position in his father-in-law's presidential campaign strategy, Jared was always the person Trump trusted to consult. Based on his performance, observers believe Jared possesses the qualities to solve problems efficiently and quietly. In fact, Jared was the one who advised on finding the director of communications for his father-in-law's presidential campaign, and even advised on the selection of the Vice President.

Not only that, with his Jewish ancestry, Jared also helped his father-in-law craft a smooth speech to bridge the gap between Trump and Jewish leaders at the recent US-Israel Joint Committee on Public Affairs. A series of other major and minor incidents and tasks, such as firing former presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, mediating with Fox News, and even writing articles to defend Trump in the press, all involved his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Entangled in both legal and interest issues.

Given his outstanding performance recently, Jared Kushner would likely not face public criticism for his nomination as a senior White House advisor if he weren't the son-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump. Immediately after this decision was announced, a series of concerns were raised regarding legal, ethical, and conflict-of-interest issues. First, the United States has anti-nepotism laws in place since 1967, prohibiting officials from appointing family members to positions within the organizations and departments they manage.

Based on this law, Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee recently sent a letter urging the Department of Justice and the Office of Government Ethics to reconsider the President-elect's appointment of Jared Kushner. However, Jared Kushner's lawyers argue that the law does not apply to the Office of the President, and that the advisory position is not part of the cabinet and is unpaid. Furthermore, the US Constitutional Court has ruled that the White House is not an "agency" subject to regulations regarding the appointment of relatives. Therefore, Trump's son-in-law is perfectly entitled to take on his new role 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 facing concerns about potential conflicts of interest while working in the White House. Both Trump and his son-in-law, Jared, own and operate large family businesses. Trump himself has announced a series of measures, such as handing over control of the company to his children and even completely separating himself from all activities related to his personal company. Despite this, suspicions of abusing the power of the President for personal gain have not diminished. Therefore, Jared Kushner's move to the White House, following in his father-in-law's footsteps, is also facing similar scrutiny.

To address public concerns, Jared's lawyer announced that he would leave the family business, resign from his role as publisher of the New York Observer, and relinquish ownership of certain assets if he officially accepted the role of senior advisor at the White House. In a recent move, Jared also stated that he would sell a number of assets to "clean up" his record and avoid future conflicts of interest as the public feared.

With such thorough preparation, it is highly likely that Jared Kushner will, as planned, become a senior White House advisor on trade and the Middle East. However, observers believe that the path ahead for the President's son-in-law will not be easy. While President-elect Donald Trump and his son-in-law may share business experience, they are completely inexperienced in politics. Whether the approach and behavior of businessmen will be effective in politics is a difficult question to answer.

Khang Duy