Why is Jared Kushner’s role in Donald Trump’s White House controversial and what are the rules against nepotism in the US?
PRESIDENT Donald Trump caused controversy when he announced his son-in-law Jared Kushner will be his senior adviser.
The move sparked criticism and the decision was reviewed over "conflict of interest" concerns.
What job has Donald Trump given Jared Kushner?
Jared Kushner, who is married to Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, has been named senior adviser to the President.
He works alongside the chief of staff, John Kelly, and worked with Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, before his dismissal in August.
The 36-year-old millionaire stepped down as boss of his family's real estate business and resigned as publisher of the New York Observer newspaper to take on the role.
Kushner worked on Trump's media strategy for his presidential campaign and was forced to defend meetings he had with Russia officials in 2016 - denying there was any collusion with the Russian government.
Why is Jared Kushner's role in Donald Trump's cabinet controversial?
Democrats wanted the Justice Department and Office of Government Ethics to investigate "legal issues" surrounding Kushner's new job.
They said it breaches anti-nepotism laws because he is a family member of the President.
His position in the White House did not need to be approved by Congress.
However in one of the first official announcements of the Trump presidency, the Justice Department released an opinion stating that no laws have been contravened.
The Office of Legal Counsel stated that the anti-nepotism statute is superseded by a different statue allowing for the President to appoint top aides "without regard to any other provision of law regulating the employment or compensation of persons in the Government service".
What are anti-nepotism laws?
An anti-nepotism law was brought in in 1967 after President John F Kennedy appointed his brother as attorney general.
It forbids federal officials from giving family members a job in an agency or office.
Kushner's lawyers were reportedly planning to say the powerful pair are exempt from nepotism rules because the White House is not an agency.
It was predicted that the President would argue he can select his advisers, using Hillary Clinton as a precedent when she worked in the White House in the 1990s while First Lady.
However the ruling by the Justice Department means their arguments weren't necessary after all.
Who is Jared Kushner?
Born in 1981, 35-year-old Jared Kushner is the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner.
He grew up in New Jersey, USA, and was raised as an Orthodox Jew.
The father-of-three is a real estate investor - making $20million as a student at Harvard, where he bought and sold buildings in the area for fun.
He's most well-known for buying the office building at 666 Fifth Avenue at the aged of 26, in 2007 - which he purchased for a record $1.8billion.
He married Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka in 2009, after she converted to Judaism.
The couple have three children - 5-year-old Arabella, 3-year-old Joseph and 8-month-old Theodore.
According to , Kushner's net worth is an estimated $200million.
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