What’s it like to be interviewed by Donald Trump for a role in the president-elect’s cabinet? It’s not exactly a one-on-one conversation.In fact, Politico reports on some of the members of Trump’s inner circle who’ve participated in the discussions with prospective candidates.
One source said the interviews to date, which usually include Vice President-elect Mike Pence and one of his aides, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Trump’s incoming chief strategist, and one or more of Trump’s adult children — Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric, as well as Kushner — can take on a circus-like atmosphere, with several people streaming in and out of the room.
Hmm. Trump and Pence overseeing the interviews make sense, it’s not too surprising Priebus and Bannon would play a role. But I’d love to hear more about why “one or more” of Trump’s kids are included in conversations with would-be cabinet members.Of course, this report follows a New York Times article that noted in passing, “Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who is in charge of planning and development of the Trump Organization’s global network of hotels, has joined in conversations with at least three world leaders — of Turkey, Argentina and Japan — having access that could help her expand the brand worldwide.”And that article followed related reporting two weeks ago about the president-elect seeking security clearance for his adult children — though Team Trump later denied this was true.On the surface, there’s at least some concern about Trump putting his kids in key positions of influence, but let’s not forget that the president-elect has ignored calls for creating a blind trust, instead deciding to put his adult children in charge of his vast business enterprise.Asked soon after about control of the Trump Organization, Trump attorney Michael Cohen said Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric would take charge. “They’re really intelligent,” Cohen said. “They’re really qualified.”But when it comes to the public trust, their intellect and qualifications are not the relevant details. Donald Trump’s vast private-sector investments, holdings, and debts are already the subject of conflict-of-interest controversies. The problem is made significantly worse when he brings in his kids — the ones who’ll oversee his business interests — to talk to prospective cabinet members and world leaders.This isn’t a sustainable dynamic and the questions about this family affair will not go away.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."