Justice Department says Trump’s son-in-law can join White House

Officials in the US Justice Department concluded that there would be no violation of anti-nepotism laws if President Trump includes his son-in-law as a member of his White House staff. 

According to a CNN report, the US Justice Department concluded that newly inaugurated President Donald Trump would not be in violation of federal anti-nepotism laws if he moves forward with his plan to include his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a member of his White House staff.

“In choosing his personal staff, the President enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office,” explained Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel Daniel Koffsky, as reported by CNN.

Moreover, the law recognizes a distinction between hiring a relative in the White House and in another agency of the executive branch.

“We believe that the President’s special hiring authority in 3 U.S.C. § 105(a) permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid,” Koffsky added.

At the same time, Koffsky worte that a President’s relative is still required to abide by extra restrictions as a member of the White House staff.