Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Borough Park, Kensington, and parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Midwood and Western Manhattan) yesterday joined a partisan group of House Democratic lawmakers in calling on the U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Office of Government Ethics to review concerns of nepotism and conflicts of interest arising from President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kushner, like Trump, is a real estate mogul, and his holdings include the former Jehovah’s Witnesses Headquarters, 25-30 Columbia Heights in DUMBO, which he and his partners purchased for $340 million last year. He also reportedly bought a parking lot next to the headquaters on Jay Street.
Kushner reportedly will give up his holdings while he works in the White House, where he will take no salary.
In a letter U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and U.S. Office of Government Director Walter M. Shaub, Jr., the lawmakers wrote that Kushner’s appointment may run afoul of the Federal anti-nepotism statute.
Under that statute, a “public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position in the agency in which he is serving” a relative. The statute defines the term “public official” to include the President and defines the term “relative” to include a “son-in-law,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter goes on to note, while the Washington Post reported Kushner plans to resign from his position overseeing his family’s real estate business and divest “substantial assets” in preparation for accepting a potential White House position, it is as yet unclear whether these steps would be sufficient to avoid potential conflicts.
Nadler is considered one of the most liberal members of Congress and was a good political friend of both former President Bill Clinton, and his wife, Hillary Clinton. He did not write any letters or make a protest when Clinton appointed his wife as a White House advisor .
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who like Nadler, is considered very liberal, offered words of support for Kushner.
About the person of Jared Kushner — I respect him a lot,” de Blasio told reporters Monday. “I’ve known him for years and find him to be a very reasonable person.
“He’s certainly someone I’ve been talking to over these last weeks. He’s someone I intend to stay in touch with on behalf of the people of New York City. He’s someone who really cares about New York City and is someone that would be very helpful to us. So I’m certainly pleased he’ll be in that role.
“And I can say clearly compared to many other people who’ve been named to other positions, I find him to be a lot more reasonable and a lot more moderate.”
