Some Of The Nepotism Of The Trump Administration
This is not complete, just what I felt are the highlights of the lowlifes. Some are sad, some are tragic, some represent serious concerns for conflicts of interests, and some are just absurdly comical comments on political patronage for incompetents.
Jared Kushner (Trump’s Son-in-law): Director of the Office of American Innovation, Senior Advisor to the President.
Kushner’s actual roles greatly exceed his already gaudy titles. For all practical purposes the husband of Ivanka Trump is the President’s Chief for Middle Eastern Affairs. He is in charge of negotiating military deals and providing sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, along with supposedly being Trump’s Middle East Peace Envoy. He retains these responsibilities notwithstanding a total lack of experience in anything relevant and struggling to get security clearances. He was compelled to amend his security disclosure forms many times as prior undisclosed potential conflicts of interest were revealed by the media. Eventually his security clearance was simply imposed by Daddy-in-law fiat.
Ivanka Trump (Trump’s Daughter): Senior Advisor to the President.
A short lifetime of modeling, designing clothes, and running cheap made-in-China clothing lines prepared Ivanka well to be ushered into the inner sanctum of the most powerful office in the world. Her government position helped her secure long sought after trademarks from China. More recently, her status as a Daddy made success story has inspired her to participate in a woman’s worldwide economic prosperity initiative. It has previously been suggested that Ivanka’s real role at the White House is as walk in eye candy for important meetings.
Tyler McGaughey (Attorney General Barr’s Son-in-law): White House Office of General Counsel.
McGaughey left his job at the Department of Justice to move to the White House. After all, if he can’t work for his father he can at least work for his father’s boss. McGauhey advises his father’s boss, and White House staff on legal issues, to include potential investigations of the President. When Barr notoriously spun the Mueller Report as more favorable to the President than it was, and declared Trump not guilty of obstruction, his son was working for the President. Go get him Rudy! Speaking of Rudy . . .
Andrew Giuliani (Rudy Giuliani’a Son): Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of the Office of Public Liaison (Effectively Sports Coordinator for the White House).
While Daddy Rudy hunted for the faintest sniffs of corruption and conflicts of interest against Joseph Biden’s son in Ukraine, his own son has a cushy $95,000 a year job that consists primarily of arranging visits by winning sports teams for pizza and hamburgers in the White House. Andrew’s prior dreams of becoming a professional golfer were lost when he was kicked off the golf team at Duke University. So he needed something to do and perhaps Trump should be congratulated for giving well paying work to someone not very employable. He is a regular golf partner of Donald Trump’s. His unescorted access to the White House was rescinded by Chief of Staff John Kelly, but reinstated after Kelly was fired. Seriously.
Kyle Yunaska (Eric Trump’s Brother-in law): Chief of Staff of the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.
Yunaska is the brother of Lara Trump (Eric Trump’s wife). He has no background in government or energy policy making, but in 2013 (obviously before the marriage) he was named one of Washington D.C.’s “hottest bachelors.” So there’s that. Congrats to Lara for landing a hunk who is now gainfully employed.
Brett Talley (Husband of Ann Donaldson, Former Chief of Staff to White House Counsel): Currently Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice.
Talley is a real gem. Trump originally nominated him to a lifetime appointment as a Federal judge despite his never having tried a case as a lawyer (in his defense he’d been a lawyer for only three years) and earning an unqualified rating from the ABA. The nomination hit the rocks when it was revealed he failed to disclose his marriage to the White House Counsel’s Chief of Staff (which would have created conflicts of interest had a case involving Trump appeared before him). Prior to this Talley did have a solid background as a ghost hunter (no kidding), writer of “true ghost stories” and paranormal novels. All of that, and the failed nomination to Federal judge, qualified him for re-designation as a bona fide Deputy Attorney General. Yee haw.
