(JNS.org) President-elect Donald Trump has appointed his Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as senior adviser to the president.
The 35-year-old Kushner, an Orthodox Jew married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism, played a key role in the 2016 presidential campaign. His new position is expected to test the limits of federal anti-nepotism rules.
“Jared has been a tremendous asset and trusted adviser throughout the campaign and transition, and I am proud to have him in a key leadership role in my administration,” Trump said in a statement.
“He has been incredibly successful, in both business and now politics. He will be an invaluable member of my team as I set and execute an ambitious agenda, putting the American people first,” added Trump.
In a news conference Wednesday, Trump is expected to detail how he plans to manage his company’s potential conflicts of interest after he is sworn into office.
Kushner intends to resign from the management positions he currently holds, including as CEO of Kushner Companies, publisher of New York’s Observer newspaper and positions with other organizations, and will divest from a “significant number” of his assets to comply with government ethics rules, his attorney Jamie Gorelick told CNN. Additionally, Kushner will not take a salary in his new White House position.
Kushner first played a role in his father-in-law’s presidential campaign when he advised him on U.S. policy toward Israel and helped write the speech Trump delivered to the March 2016 policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby.
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