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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocrats ask White House about Trump son-in-law's potential conflicts #OhNotJared #BuyIvanka
Three Democratic lawmakers questioned the White House on Wednesday over its handling of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law's potential conflicts of interest now that he is serving as an official adviser.
Jared Kushner, a real estate developer who advised Trump during the presidential campaign, was cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice in January to serve as a White House senior adviser. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, has been given a wide range of domestic and foreign policy responsibilities, including working on a Middle East peace deal.
In a letter to Deputy White House Counsel Stefan Passantino, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tom Carper expressed concern over media reports that Kushner is maintaining some business interests, and asked how the White House plans to comply with laws that prohibit federal officials from profiting by government work.
"Neither the White House nor Mr. Kushner's attorneys, however, has confirmed which financial assets Mr. Kushner still controls," making oversight "impossible," they wrote with Elijah Cummings, the senior Democrat on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the House of Representatives.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-kushner-idUSKBN16F2I4?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=58c071fe04d3015a2380d290&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)He's forbidden by the U.S. Code to receive a salary. Not, of course, that such niggling concerns are of any moment to the Republican congress, which resolutely puts party before country whenever those interests are in conflict.
politicaljunkie41910
(3,335 posts)Office of Government Ethics concluded that, as his son-in-law he could take a job as an advisor to the president. The guy just bought a $6M house in DC for gosh sake. There's got to be some quid pro quo there somewhere.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)The law specifically applies to executive agencies, and specifically mentions sons-in-law, and says that if they are employed in violation of this section, they can't draw pay from the Treasury. Now, if President Trump wants to pay Jared out of his own pocket, that's apparently okay, but I'm guessing that old Donald is pretty tight with a buck.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)as all of Trump's (many) other conflicts of interest - they'll just ignore it.
LOL Lib
(1,462 posts)"It's not possible for the POTUS to have a conflict of interest." I'm sure that extends to the smarmy son in law too. These Dump grifters are a special type of parasites.