A week or so ago, it was reported an unnamed White House official was under investigation in the Trump-Russia probe by the FBI. We now know his name.
Robert Reich writes,
The senior White House adviser under investigation in the Russia probe turns out to be Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
It’s unclear what possible crimes Kushner might be under investigation for committing, but in addition to possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election, investigators are also looking into possible financial crimes.
It’s called corruption. Any expert on corrupt authoritarian regimes throughout history knows that those regimes' wrongdoing often runs through family members with official titles. That’s because people who want to curry favor with a regime often provide favors to family members as a way to get closer to the person in power.
Kushner has already come under scrutiny for his family possibly benefiting personally from his proximity to his leader-of-the-free-world father-in-law. His sister earlier this month mentioned Kushner's advisory role in the White House while pitching Chinese investors on a New Jersey housing development.
This is a big reason why we have anti-nepotism laws in the United States – precisely to avoid the corruption that all too often comes with installing relatives in positions of power. Trump and Kushner have disregarded those laws. They may come to regret it
By Ken Dilanian, Peter Alexander And Courtney Kube
