Over at Trump Towers the presidential elect is in town, turning his hand from campaigning
to building a presidential team.
And all eyes are on his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a political novice who was an architect
of the campaign, now emerging as his key confidant.
Jared is a very successful real estate person, but I actually think he likes politics more
than he likes real estate.
I’m excited.
But with the Trump White House already facing accusation of nepotism and conflicts of interest,
the idea of giving a key role to his son-in-law, another political apprentice, is raising serious
concerns.
Jared is perceived right now as a very, very powerful man in the land.
He’s Trump’s golden boy.
Yes.
Journalist and author Vicky Ward has known Jared Kushner and Donald Trump for many years.
Only one person tells Donald what to do and that is Donald Trump.
Bottom line.
But I think after that it is children, certainly Ivanka.
And Jared.
I mean you know, I did actually speak to Donald Trump on Friday and he told me how incredibly
brilliant he thinks Jared is.
He called him my son - not even son-in-law - my son.
Close they might be, but federal anti-nepotism laws prevent presidents from employing family
members.
Although there’s speculation, Trump is trying to find ways round this.
We went to find Jared Kushner to ask him what his plans were.
Walking to the office at 666 5th Avenue with his parents, he was offering no clues.
Excuse me, do you think you’re going to get a job in White House?
Have a good day, thank you.
You’re going to get a job in the White House do you think?
Charles, do you think he’s going to get a job in the white house?
The disarming smile gave nothing away.
Jared Kushner is now inside his company headquarters with his parents for their regular Tuesday
business meeting.
Just like the Trumps, this is very much a family affair.
It’s all about loyalty and sticking together.
Jared Kushner’s fortune, like Trump’s, comes from real estate.
His company’s headquarters are just across the road from his father-in-law’s.
Both families were outsiders to the Manhattan big time.
The Kushner’s are from a small town in New Jersey.
Jared’s grandparents were holocaust survivors.
The local school proudly bears their name.
But the family name was tarnished 12 years ago in a scandal involving Jared’s father.
Amid a family feud, he was sent to jail for tax evasion and witness tampering.
He’d hired a prostitute for his bro-in-law and had him secretly filmed as he tried to
stop him speaking to prosecutors.
Just 24, Jared found himself running the family business and ambitiously then bought of one
the city newspapers.
And it was a really big embarrassment when his father went to jail.
Quite interestingly, he doubled down and I think buying the New York Observer was part
of that.
So, it said not only am I not embarrassed to be a Kushner, I’m going to be a part
of the establishment.
He needed to rehabilitate the Kushner brand.
The man who prosecuted Jared Kushner’s father, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie,
was recently ousted from Trumps’ transition team.
Amid claims of revenge Jared insists he wasn’t involved in any way.
Revenge though is a family dish is New Jersey.
Here at Holsten’s, where mobster Tony Soprano made his final appearance, feelings are mixed
about the unfolding drama around Jared Kushner and whether he should follow Donald Trump
into the White House.
I have no issue at all.
I mean…
You don’t think it’s a conflict for you?
No, not at all, not at all.
I mean he was instrumental in Trump’s campaign and the election.
You build success with a great team around you.
There’s a perception of impropriety in that he won’t be able to provide him with objective
information.
So, you really need people who have no vested interest as a family member, you know, you
need people who are not afraid to tell you no.
I’m a new-comer to politics but not to backing the Jewish state.
And it’s over the fraught subject of Israel that Trump has increasingly sought advice
from Jared.
The president elect raised eyebrows when the president elect suggested that his son-in-law
could broker Middle East peace in an as yet undefined role.
My colleagues have asked Trump about his Israel advisors.
It’s all people who are close to him.
It’s not the usual people from Washington think-tanks, or former ambassadors, or the
person who served as a diplomat in Jerusalem.
It’s his real estate lawyer, his son-in-law.
And that’s how Trump operated throughout the whole campaign.
The question ahead, if Trump pushes ahead and gives Jared and other relatives white
House roles, will he face legal as well as political challenges?
Democrats are litigious and they will bring cases.
And the courts today are heavily democratic.
Remember that the last eight years, Obama filled the courts with democrats.
So there are a lot of democrats in the federal judiciary.
So things could get messy?
They could get messy.
Even if things do get messy, and regardless of whether his role is formal or not, there’s
no doubt Jared Kushner will be a powerful presence in the unpredictable world of Donald
Trump.