Mr. Kushner’s own eligibility for the White House could be challenged, given a 1967 law meant to bar government officials from hiring relatives. Mr. Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick argued on Monday that the law does not apply to the West Wing. She cited a later congressional measure to allow the president “unfettered” and “sweeping” authority in hiring staff.
In a statement, Mr. Trump said Mr. Kushner will be an “invaluable member of my team as I set and execute an ambitious agenda.”
Mr. Kushner will resign as CEO of his family’s real estate company and as publisher of the New York Observer. He will also divest “substantial assets,” Ms. Gorelick said. The lawyer said Mr. Kushner would not be taking a salary. Ivanka Trump will also be leaving her executive roles at the Trump Organization her father’s real estate company and her own fashion brands.
Mr. Kushner, who turns 36 on Tuesday, emerged as one of Mr. Trump’s most powerful campaign advisers during his father-in-law’s often unorthodox presidential bid a calming presence in an otherwise chaotic campaign. Soft-spoken and press-shy, he was deeply involved in the campaign’s digital efforts and was usually at Mr. Trump’s side during the election’s closing weeks.
