Trump’s extraordinary selection of his daughters’ fathers-in-law for key posts underscores his reliance on family members
By Betsy Klein and Isabelle D’Antonio, CNN
(CNN) — Donald Trump has selected billionaire Massad Boulos to serve as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs — the second time in as many days the president-elect has chosen a family member for a key post.
Though Trump didn’t mention it in his announcement Sunday, Boulous is the father-in-law of the president-elect’s daughter Tiffany and was heavily involved in campaigning for Trump in Muslim American communities in battleground states. On Saturday, Trump named real estate developer Charles Kushner to serve as the next US ambassador to France. Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and was pardoned by Trump in 2020 following a 2005 conviction on federal charges.
The extraordinary selection of his daughters’ fathers-in-law for two critical posts underscores how Trump will continue his precedent of leaning on trusted family members in his second term.
Trump on Sunday described Boulos as “a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene.”
“Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has long turned to his family members to serve in political roles, raising questions about conflicts of interest and nepotism. From 2017 to 2021, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, served as senior advisers with West Wing offices, providing input on a range of issues. Kushner was one of the lead negotiators of the Abraham Accords, a pact that normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and is expected to continue to advise Trump on Middle East issues from outside the White House. Ivanka Trump has said she does not plan to return to Washington in any formal capacity.
Donald Trump’s sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump ran the family real estate business during his first term but emerged as key surrogates on the 2024 campaign trail. The president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, meanwhile, was installed as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Tiffany Trump, who received a law degree from Georgetown University in 2020, has not publicly weighed in on politics.
And 18-year-old Barron Trump, who started college at New York University this fall, emerged as a key influence on his father’s decision to appear on high-profile podcasts targeting the young male voters who propelled Trump to victory in November.
The appointments raise questions about influence and power — and profit — among Trump’s family members in the US government. For instance, Jared Kushner’s potential involvement this time comes with a new complicating layer: Shortly after leaving Washington, he founded an investment fund with major backing from sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf. In recent years, his investment fund received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have gone after President Joe Biden over allegations that the president’s son Hunter Biden improperly financially benefited from his father’s time in office as vice president. There is evidence Hunter Biden leveraged his famous name while pursuing lucrative foreign deals, which might be untoward but isn’t illegal. However, there is no evidence that Joe Biden ever profited off his son’s business deals or was influenced while in office by his son’s business dealings, and congressional Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into Biden fizzled out.
GOP Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, unveiled bipartisan legislation earlier this year that would require presidents and vice presidents to disclose their tax returns and any foreign payments made to them or their families in the two years prior to taking office, during their term in office and in the two years following.
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.
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