The Golden Couple (Ivanka and Jared)

[GreyhoundFan]

I thought we should have a separate thread for Ivanka and Jared, since she's now officially a White House employee (not "just a daughter" as promised) and Jared has been tasked with completely blowing up the government. Politico had this lengthy and interesting article about some of the resentment others have for Jared. "Kushner’s privileged status stokes resentment in White House"

Quote

In a White House where President Donald Trump commands reverence, Jared Kushner often refers to the president by one name: Donald. And while cable TV can dominate the president’s mood and set the agenda for senior administration staff, Kushner usually keeps his large flat-screen TV in his office turned off, a stark departure from other top aides.

Kushner, the president’s 36-year-old son-in-law and White House senior adviser, does essentially what he wants, having the benefit of not only Trump's ear but — as a family member — his implicit trust.

That trust has resulted in a vast portfolio that so far includes negotiating an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, helping oversee relations with Canada, China and Mexico and, as of this week, reinventing the federal government through the new White House Office of American Innovation.

But Kushner's status as the big-issue guru has stoked resentment among his colleagues, who question whether Kushner is capable of following through on his various commitments. And some colleagues complain that his dabbling in myriad issues and his tendency to walk in and out of meetings have complicated efforts to instill more order and organization into the chaotic administration. These people also say Kushner can be a shrewd self promoter, knowing how to take credit — and shirk blame — whenever it suits him.

“He's saving the government and the Middle East at the same time,” one senior administration official quipped.

In addition to being arguably the president’s most trusted and influential adviser, Kushner also serves as Trump’s unofficial hatchet man. And all eyes are on Kushner as White House insiders predict a broader staff shakeup amid rising tensions between Kushner and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Kushner would like to present Trump a plan for improving the White House within weeks, around the 90-day mark, according to a person familiar with the plan.

In a move that's alarming the West Wing's hardline conservatives, Kushner is increasingly aligning himself with national economic adviser Gary Cohn, who’s participating in Kushner’s innovation office and a Democrat whose moderate political positions in some ways mirror Kushner’s own.

Kushner, the person familiar with his plans said, wants fewer zealots and less ideology in the West Wing — and is frustrated with the constant leaking and infighting that have characterized the administration’s early days.

“Everyone is jealous,” said one person close to the White House. Kushner is “the ultimate decider. Mostly people are jealous."

This account of Kushner's role is based on more than a dozen interviews with senior White House officials, allies, donors, lawmakers and others.

...

 

[RoseWilder]

I know this won't come as a shock to anyone, but Jared and Ivanka are still profiting from their businesses (which they pretended to divest from but really didn't) while being employed at the White House. 

 

[fraurosena]

Just leaving this here:

[fraurosena]

The NYT has an article on what they call the "Trump Couple". 

Trump Couple, Now White House Employees, Can’t Escape Conflict Laws

Quote

The husband-and-wife team of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, now both senior federal government officials, has been alongside President Trump as the White House has hosted dozens of chief executives and a handful of world leaders in recent weeks.

It is a rarefied crowd, one that has included the top executives of some of the world’s largest automobile, airline, chemical, pharmaceutical and tech companies. Mr. Kushner will continue to keep such select company now that he has helped create a new office that Mr. Trump is calling the White House Office of American Innovation.

But the financial disclosure report released late Friday for Mr. Kushner, which shows that he and his wife still benefit financially from a real estate and investment empire worth as much as $740 million, makes clear that this most powerful Washington couple is walking on perilous legal and ethical ground, according to several prominent experts on the subject. [...]

While Mr. Kushner may face a potential ethical minefield, the disclosure form makes it difficult to determine exactly where those mines might be situated. The form, which runs 54 pages and lists hundreds of entities, reveals few details about the underlying investments that make up the Kushner empire, such as the addresses of buildings, sources of financing and names of partners. [...]

Mr. Kushner [...] continues to hold multimillion-dollar lines of credit from institutions such as Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, while companies he is still a beneficiary of have billions of dollars in additional loans from heavily regulated institutions. [...]

Richard W. Painter, who served as a White House ethics lawyer in the Bush administration, said that Mr. Kushner’s financial holdings would complicate any interactions he might have with such banks. “The one thing Jared really ought to stay completely away from is anything having to do with Dodd-Frank,” Mr. Painter said, referring to the 2010 law that increased capital reserve requirements and instituted many other regulatory changes that affected the nation’s banks.

Mr. Trump has already said he hopes to roll back the law, with the help of Congress and his top aides.

Hmmm... Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, eh? Oooooh, I hope Rachel Maddow jumps onto this! 

And who is surprised that the presidunce wants to abolish a law that just might have negative impact on his family?

There is much more to the article than this little tidbit, so I really recommend reading it.

[Imagine20]

These people are just doing what they can to clean out the coffers and sell any national secrets they might learn to the highest bidder. They need to be stopped quickly. Every day I get more and more stressed out. 

[GreyhoundFan]

21 minutes ago, Imagine20 said:

These people are just doing what they can to clean out the coffers and sell any national secrets they might learn to the highest bidder. They need to be stopped quickly. Every day I get more and more stressed out. 

I agree. I worry as much about them as I do about the tangerine toddler. He's such a nut job that more people see his craziness. They put a pretty face on things and can speak rationally, so they can do crap to our country without raising the same level of alarm. I just think how much uproar there would have been if Chelsea Clinton or her husband got West Wing offices with top level security clearances. Same goes with Barbara and Jenna Bush. We need the whole corrupt Drumpf family out  of our government.

[JMarie]

Jared's in Iraq because... why?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/02/politics/jared-kushner-iraq/index.html

Maybe he's being punished because he went on a ski trip instead of supporting Trump during the failed Obamacare repeal.

[sawasdee]

 

5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

. I just think how much uproar there would have been if Chelsea Clinton or her husband got West Wing offices with top level security clearances.

Ironically, Chelsea's experience with the Clinton Foundation would actually have given her relevant knowledge for some political roles. Unlike Ivanka's experience copying shoes and selling inflammable scarves....

[GreyhoundFan]

5 hours ago, sawasdee said:

 

Ironically, Chelsea's experience with the Clinton Foundation would actually have given her relevant knowledge for some political roles. Unlike Ivanka's experience copying shoes and selling inflammable scarves....

Oh, I agree with you, but I can just hear the Repubs howling if Chelsea had been given a West Wing office, even if she had previously been governor of NY.

[GreyhoundFan]

Here's a good analysis of Price Jared's workings with China.

Quote

Ahead of Thursday’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Trump administration is engaged in a relatively conventional process involving interagency teams debating the messaging, policies and priorities for the U.S.-China relationship. But separate and above that operation sits a key channel for high-level interactions between the White House and Chinese leadership, run by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Kushner channel was established shortly after the election with the help of former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. In a series of meetings with top Chinese officials, Kushner and other Trump aides set the tone and broad agenda for the coming summit, well before the current policy process began. When Trump meets with Xi at Mar-a-Lago, the leaders could codify those early discussions, with huge implications for the United States, China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Kushner’s goal, according to White House and transition officials, is to broaden and improve the relationship, despite several persistent challenges. That drive runs counter to the views of other top officials who want to confront Beijing on various issues, as Trump promised during the campaign.

In mid-November, Kissinger met Kushner, national security adviser designate Michael Flynn and the president-elect at Trump Tower. Trump asked Kissinger to travel to Beijing and deliver a verbal message to Xi saying that everything was on the table in terms of bilateral cooperation. Kissinger met Xi in Beijing on Dec. 2, and Xi sent back a private reply conveying China’s wish to set up an early meeting of the two presidents.

That same day, Trump took a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, prompting a rebuke from the Chinese foreign ministry. But despite public tensions, private wooing between the two sides continued. Kissinger met with top Trump aides, including Kushner, on Dec. 6 and encouraged them to meet with Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi. Yang and Ambassador Cui Tiankai came to Trump Tower for two meetings with top Trump officials Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, hosted in Kushner’s office.

...

He really has his fingers in everything.

[RoseWilder]

11 hours ago, JMarie said:

Jared's in Iraq because... why?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/02/politics/jared-kushner-iraq/index.html

Maybe he's being punished because he went on a ski trip instead of supporting Trump during the failed Obamacare repeal.

This tweet sums up how I feel about Jared being in Iraq: 

 

[candygirl200413]

was going to share that tweet! and also this non-existence republicans giving no care in the world about this. Just carrying on business per usual.

[JMO]

The fact that these two have top clearance and White House roles kills me.  WTF.  They have no experience!!!  WTH is Jared doing in Iraq?!?!?  What could he possibly contribute?  Is he planning a real estate venture there?  

[faraway]

I don't even find the fact that they have no experience the most concerning thing TBH. Think about where they came from: Ivanka is DT's daughter and is in some probably really twisted ways close to him. Jared's father bought his sons an ivy league education through big donations to the schools and did jail time at one point. How in the world could these two possibly not be corrupted in any way?

[fraurosena]

Well.... looky here. In this MSNBC video, Richard Painter, former Chief White House Ethics Lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, says there are three areas of government where Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will need to recuse themselves from entirely, or it would be a criminal offense.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-news/watch/potential-conflicts-of-interest-for-ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-912928835720

 

[Lyle Lanley]

19 minutes ago, JMO said:

Is he planning a real estate venture there?  

Wasn't this a plot point in Arrested Development?

[JMarie]

Anyone else think Jared could be our next president -- that Trump will get tired of not living in Trump Tower and doing his usual business stuff, so he'll come up with some obscure rule that allows him to appoint a successor, and he'll boast how Jared's already doing everything, so might as well make it official???

[GreyhoundFan]

2 minutes ago, JMarie said:

Anyone else think Jared could be our next president -- that Trump will get tired of not living in Trump Tower and doing his usual business stuff, so he'll come up with some obscure rule that allows him to appoint a successor, and he'll boast how Jared's already doing everything, so might as well make it official???

I can't see Congress sitting still for that. They would want Pence in place.

 

"Jared Kushner, the Assistant With the Big Portfolio"

Quote

President Trump has made his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a White House assistant with an exceptionally broad portfolio. Mr. Kushner has been charged with at least three major tasks, any one of which would be a full-time job: working on Middle East peace, preparing for a state visit by President Xi Jinping of China and overseeing a broad effort to reorganize the federal government utilizing business techniques. And on Monday, he accompanied Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on a visit to Iraq.

Offhand, I am not aware of any White House staff member in recent history who has had such an important and diverse array of responsibilities. One would have to go back to Harry Hopkins, one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s closest advisers, to find someone similar. But although Hopkins worked on both domestic and foreign policy, he didn’t work on them simultaneously, as Mr. Kushner appears to be doing.

I have no idea if Mr. Kushner is up to any of these various jobs, let alone all of them. He appears to be well educated — an undergraduate degree from Harvard and joint law and business degrees from New York University. Although he has worked for his father’s real estate company and been the publisher of The New York Observer, he has no government experience other than an internship with the Manhattan district attorney, Robert Morgenthau.

What stands out to me, having worked in the White House for Ronald Reagan, is that Mr. Kushner is not head of any White House office. There are many such offices, some with large numbers of employees, such as the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council and the Office of the United States Trade Representative. But only a couple of dozen of the most senior staff members have coveted West Wing Offices; the bulk of them work next door in the Old Executive Office Building, some on detail from the State Department or the military.

And just a tiny number of people, including Mr. Kushner, have offices on the main floor of the West Wing, close to the Oval Office. In other words, Mr. Kushner is clearly important given the location of his office.

Yet, he does not appear to have any staff members of his own. As a practical matter, in a bureaucracy staff is power. If you are going to get anything done and have any kind of meaningful managerial control over your assignments, you need your own employees, and they need to be relatively close at hand, not across town at Foggy Bottom or over the river at the Pentagon.

...

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The dangers of a princeling with portfolio"

Quote

The list of objections to Jared Kushner’s expansive role in the administration — nepotism, the aura of monarchical power and his lack of credentials — grows each day. Seeing him pop up in Iraq in a meeting with Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, underscores the degree to which the State Department — along with the official National Security Council — has been marginalized in an administration in which political cronies and relatives run the show. Who speaks for the administration, and why go through normal diplomatic channels if you can bypass all that by going to the president’s son-in-law?

...

Moreover, the raft of potential conflicts of interest and violations of the Constitution’s emoluments clause becomes unavoidable when Kushner’s realm of responsibility seems to be as wide-ranging as his father-in-law’s. The Associated Press reports:

Richard Painter, a former White House ethics counselor to President George W. Bush who has been sharply critical of the Trump administration’s handling of conflicts issues, argues … that banking regulation, taxes and trade cut too close to Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s interests. “I think there are pretty clear problems with the criminal statute if they weigh in on any of those areas,” he said.

Kushner and Ivanka Trump will recuse themselves from advising on policies when necessary, their lawyers say, though they haven’t publicly spelled out when they would do so.

Kushner and Ivanka Trump are working with outside attorneys, the Office of the White House Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics. They resigned from all positions at their companies and have divested from 58 of what could have been the most problematic businesses and investments, such as a Manhattan skyscraper seeking new investment partners.

Still, Kushner holds hundreds of remaining entities, most of them tied to commercial real estate. Ivanka Trump continues to benefit from her fashion brand, which includes clothing largely manufactured overseas and imported.

Divesting, as Kushner did with the skyscraper, is the first — and, according to government watchdogs, best — step in avoiding conflicts of interest.

One also has to wonder how effective in any area Kushner can be if he is simultaneously engaged on Iraq, Mexico, reinventing the entire federal government and bringing peace to the Middle East. He risks being viewed as a dilettante and an unproductive distraction for those engaged on complex issues full-time. Knowing just enough to wade in and not nearly enough to offer wise counsel, he seems the perfect alter ego to a president willfully ignorant about almost every issue.

One is tempted to indulge Kushner, because he, together with Gary Cohn, seems to be acting as a brake on the extreme nationalist policies favored by Trump and his muse Stephen K. Bannon. For example, despite all the tough campaign talk on trade, Trump’s initial steps look tame. After calling the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the killer of millions of jobs, he now seeks only to tweak the deal. He has not labeled China a currency manipulator or talked lately about his 35 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Reports also suggest that Kushner was instrumental in preventing a rollback of protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans in the workplace instituted by President Barack Obama’s executive order and in preventing a withdrawal from the Paris accords on climate change. It speaks volumes about the lack of expertise that Kushner is among the more capable and sane advisers.

Nevertheless, we don’t know how much of Bannon’s populist agenda was unraveled by Kushner, nor does any policy accomplishment excuse potential violations of law or the Constitution. It does not ease concerns about usurping authority of political appointees, blurring lines of authority or creating a monarchical administration. Surely there are non-relatives without gobs of conflicts who can perform duties assigned to Kushner. In fact, there is a Cabinet full of them.

...

 

[sawasdee]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

. It speaks volumes about the lack of expertise that Kushner is among the more capable and sane advisers.

I could not imagine it expressed better. That he is considered able, and less dangerous, in areas of which he knows nothing, sums up the present administration. Know nothings in charge of almost everything.

Does anyone in the administration realise how they are regarded as incompetent idiots by the rest of the world?

[GreyhoundFan]

9 minutes ago, sawasdee said:

I could not imagine it expressed better. That he is considered able, and less dangerous, in areas of which he knows nothing, sums up the present administration. Know nothings in charge of almost everything.

Does anyone in the administration realise how they are regarded as incompetent idiots by the rest of the world?

I don't think they care.

[sawasdee]

10 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I don't think they care.

As long as they can monetise just about everything in sight - no, I don't think they care either.

[candygirl200413]

am I missing something? Like how do people like Jared and the entire cabinent basically feel comfortable doing something that they have NO expertise in?! Like I would be so stressed if I had to be like a lawyer with a BS in Public Health. Like does his other motives just keep him going?

[GreyhoundFan]

8 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

am I missing something? Like how do people like Jared and the entire cabinent basically feel comfortable doing something that they have NO expertise in?! Like I would be so stressed if I had to be like a lawyer with a BS in Public Health. Like does his other motives just keep him going?

That's because you have common sense, @candygirl200413. Most of us would not take on a ridiculously huge job for which we are in no way qualified. I don't know if, in Jared's case, he thinks he can do the job because he was born to privilege, or if he wants to please father/psycho-in-law.

[Childless]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

That's because you have common sense, @candygirl200413. Most of us would not take on a ridiculously huge job for which we are in no way qualified. I don't know if, in Jared's case, he thinks he can do the job because he was born to privilege, or if he wants to please father/psycho-in-law.

What makes it even crazier is the fact that he's not just taking on a job he's not qualified for, he's taking on five or six jobs he's not qualified for.  Everytime I hear about him, Trump has added yet another problem to his list to tackle.  As a businessman, Trump should know the pitfalls of scope creep.  Why he's saddling his son-in-law with it?  It's almost as if he wants him to fail.  Or he's just a shitty businessman.  I'm putting my money on the latter.  The fact that Jared is letting him do it doesn't speak well for his business acumen either.