Jared Kushner Can Serve in Trump White House: DOJ

President Donald Trump's hiring of his son-in-law Jared Kushner to serve in the White House does not violate federal anti-nepotism laws, the Department of Justice concluded in a 14-page legal opinion dated Jan. 20.

Earlier this month, Trump announced that Kushner would be joining the White House as a senior adviser to the president. When the announcement was made, legal experts raised concerns that the appointment could violate a 1967 law aimed at preventing nepotism in the federal government.

However, the DOJ concluded that because of the president's special hiring authority he is not barred from appointing Kushner under a provision that prevents a public official from appointing a relative to a "civilian position in the agency over which the official exercises jurisdiction or control." CNN reports that a person familiar with the issue said Trump's transition team asked career lawyers with the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel to review the proposed appointment.

Trump had indicated that Kushner will play a role in defining policy in the Middle East, particularly in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. He made the remarks during his first interview as president-elect with the New York Times. During the interview he also said that Kushner's role in the White House might be "nothing" because he didn't want to have people saying, "conflict."

Kushner is the grandson of holocaust survivors who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home in New Jersey. He is said to be knowledgeable about the Israel-Palestine conflict, however an article in the Times found that there might be some limits in his reach in the area as several diplomats and politicians there had never actually encountered him. Kushner also knows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through his father Charles Kushner.

At a dinner on Thursday in D.C., Trump said if Kushner couldn't bring peace to the Middle East, nobody could.

Kushner is said to be one of Trump's closest advisers and confidants, serving as a calming force for him during the campaign.

This report will be updated.

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