The attorney for Jared Kushner said Tuesday that Mr. Kushner, President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law, plans to “step away” from his businesses and divest of “many, many” of his assets as he prepares to take on the formal role of senior adviser to Mr. Trump.
“He is going to step away from his businesses. He’s going to extricate himself entirely,” Kushner attorney Jamie Gorelick said on NBC’s “Today” program.
“Number two, he’s going to divest of many, many of his assets. And number three, for assets that remain he will follow the normal recusal procedures,” she said.
Mr. Kushner, along with his family, has made a name for himself as a major player in the New York area real estate scene.
He will apparently relinquish his position of CEO of Kushner Companies, as well as the position of publisher of the New York Observer, as he prepares to head into the White House.
Some of his assets will be sold to his brother, Josh, and some will be sold in part to a trust of which his mother is the trustee, Politico reported Monday.
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“He’s in a family business, and consistent with all the federal rules, one can sell interests to another family member,” Ms. Gorelick said. “He’s not going to be a beneficiary of this trust; he’s not a contingent beneficiary of this trust.”
“We’ve discussed this with the Office of Government Ethics. I’m very comfortable that this arrangement is appropriate under the rules,” she said. “The Office of Government Ethics has given us advice, and we [have] followed it.”
Ms. Gorelick said anti-nepotism rules don’t apply to “the immediate office of the president” and that regardless, Congress has passed a law saying the president can have “total discretion” over his staff.
On Monday, Mr. Trump announced Mr. Kushner, who was a key adviser during the campaign, as a senior adviser.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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