DONALD TRUMP would not the first president to give a family member an important job. John F Kennedy appointed his brother, Bobby Kennedy, as attorney-general, a job for which he was almost universally considered to be too young and inexperienced. Bill Clinton put his wife, Hillary Clinton, in charge of reforming America’s health-care system. Had Mrs Clinton defeated Mr Trump in last year’s election, she might well have given her husband a job in her administration, too.
Even so, if Mr Trump wishes to avoid accusations of nepotism, he would be wise not to appoint his son-in-law, Jared Kushner (pictured), as his senior adviser. Yet that is preciselywhat he is about to do, according to statements from his transition team and Mr Kushner’s lawyer on January 9th. Kennedy and Mr Clinton were widely criticised—even sued—for appointing a relative to a government job. “It is simply not good enough to name a bright young political manager, no matter how bright or how young or how personally loyal, to a major post in government,” thundered an editorial in the New York Times in 1961. “A travesty of justice,” was Newsweek’s verdict.
Six years after Kennedy’s...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2id0bsc
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