Koffsky’s version is an arguable reading of the rules. As he puts it, “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.”

Trump was in talks with another controversial candidate for the position, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. The two met on Dec. 13 to discuss the job, Axios reports. “He’s tough; he’s an attorney; he’s politically savvy, and one of Trump’s early supporters,” a source told the publication, explaining the president’s reasoning.

But Christie’s gone. He just withdrew (paywall), saying, “Now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment.”

Based on Trump’s track record, concern about nepotism wouldn’t have been the basis for hiring Christie as opposed to Kushner. It seems ever more apparent that the real question may just be who will want to take the job, given his administration’s rather alarming 62% turnover rate.

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