(Part 2)
By Mel Gurtov
[Note to Readers: In Part 1, I wrote about the big-time donors and loyalists who will populate Trump’s cabinet, inner circle, and ambassadorships. Elon Musk naturally stands out in that grouping, and now the New York Times has introduced us to Musk’s inner and outer circle. Three things stand out for me from that profile: venture capitalists and others with extreme wealth dominate Musk’s close relationships; virtually no women other than wives and his mother are influencers; and Musk is using his insider role to push people from his former days at PayPal and his current space programs to obtain positions in the defense department. The conflicts of interest Musk is creating are legendary.]
The Family
The third group is the extended family that Trump will rely on, notably in formulating Middle East policy. Son-in-law Jared Kushner is once again knee-deep in corruption, this time being clever enough to stay out of an official position in the incoming administration.
Writing in the online journal Popular Information, Judd Legum and Noel Sims trace Kushner’s exploitation of his Saudi connections to make millions of dollars offering investment advice. Kushner’s private equity fund, Alliance Partners, relies mainly on funds from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is subject to final decisions by the notorious Mohamed bin Salman, Kushner’s buddy.
Thus, while the PIF hasn’t earned a dime, Kushner draws huge sums in management fees from investors that now include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those investments total around $5 billion.
The conflict of interest for Kushner now that his father-in-law is about to return to the White House is obvious. Kushner continues to advise Trump, maintains relations with Middle East dictators and with the Netanyahu administration in Israel, and is regularly on the phone with people in and out of government who want advice on Middle East policy. By law, Kushner should be a registered foreign agent of Saudi Arabia, but don’t count on his doing anything of the sort.
To the contrary, Kushner is likely to enjoy all the benefits of a policy insider without having to divulge anything about what he is advising.
Jared’s father, Charles, won’t be involved in Middle East affairs, only French, now that he’s been nominated to be ambassador to Paris. Charles Kushner is a convicted felon: He pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. Trump pardoned him, and tells a French newspaper that Charles is family.
Steve Witkoff, slated to be Trump’s Middle East envoy, is a real estate mogul with no diplomatic experience. Shortly before the election, Witkoff formed a crypto business that includes Trump as an investor.
World Liberty Financial Inc. has partnered with the Tron network, a rival of Bitcoin in crypto transfers. The problem here: Tron is associated with groups designated as terror organizations by Israel, the United States and other countries. One of them is Hamas, according to Reuters in a 2023 report.
Kimberly Gilfoyle, the now ex-fiancée of Trump, Jr., is slated to be ambassador to Greece. She has a well-documented history while at Fox News of harassment of an assistant, attempts to buy the assistant’s silence, and inappropriate sexual behavior on the job.
Sucking up to the rich and powerful was her game then and is now. Back in 2015, she called Greeks “freeloaders,” lazy and lacking ambition, for seeking outside help in Greece’s debt crisis. But just recently she reversed gear, gushing about her great love of Greece when talking with a Greek American billionaire. I suspect Kimberly has been sent to Greece to get her out of the way of Junior’s latest love pursuit.
Then there’s Massad Boulos, father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, whom Trump has touted as a “dealmaker” and a “highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene.” In fact, Boulos is an executive with a trucking company in Nigeria that is barely profitable. Nor does Boulos own the company; it is owned by his father-in-law. All Boulos can claim by way of Middle East expertise is that he helped Trump with Arab American voters.
Kakistocracy
There is a word for the type of regime being installed under Trump: kakistocracy—government by the least competent. But these nominees are, with rare exception, not just distinctly unqualified, they are dangerous.
In a political system based on merit, they would fail the Senate’s confirmation tests. But even assuming the Senate does get to interrogate them, don’t count on a vote to reject them. Watch as the supposed Republican doubters change their minds under Trump’s pressure. After the Matt Gaetz disaster, Trump will probably prevail on enough Republican Senators to get his people through. After all, who among them would dare to cross this President?
If there is any consolation for this kakistocracy, it might be the chaos that is endemic to Trump’s leadership style. Incompetence (or competence, for that matter) will be balanced out by Trump’s well-known inattention, egotism, and heavy reliance on Fox News. Before long, if his first term is any guide, these new nominees will be either ignored or replaced. As an article in The Hill reminds us:
“Within months [of taking office in 2017], Trump had replaced his chief of staff, national security advisor, press secretary and counselor to the president. Ultimately, in a four-year period, Trump would go through four chiefs of staff, four national security advisors, four press secretaries and five counselors to the president.”
So sit back and watch the show.
[PS: Two other people can now be added to the Part 1 list: Billionaire Stephen A. Feinberg, co-owner of a private equity firm, has been nominated to be deputy secretary of defense. Feinberg was a major contributor to Trump’s campaign. In the loyalist column, add Michael Duffey, who distinguished himself in the first Trump administration by pushing for withholding aid to Ukraine until Pres. Zelensky agreed to investigate Joe Biden. Duffey’s nomination is for undersecretary for acquisitions and sustainment in the Pentagon.]
Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University and blogs at In the Human Interest.
