Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, officially accepted a position in father-in-law Donald Trump’s administration as a senior adviser to the president, and now both the soon-to-be first daughter and the real estate scion will resign from their current roles to move to Washington, D.C.
In order to comply with ethics laws, Ivanka, 35, will step down from her role as executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization and head of her eponymous fashion brand, Kushner’s attorney said in a statement to Vanity Fair on Monday, January 9. She will sell all of her common stock and will receive only fixed payments on certain projects related to the family business so that she does not benefit from the company’s profits. Ivanka has previously come under fire for promoting her fashion brand while fulfilling official obligations as first daughter.
Meanwhile, Kushner, 35, will resign as chief executive of Kushner Companies and publisher of The Observer newspaper. He also plans to sell some of his holdings, including property at 666 Fifth Avenue and the venture capital firm his brother Joshua founded, Thrive Capital. The president-elect’s team also announced that Kushner will forgo his salary while serving the administration.
“These steps are consistent with federal law and executive branch practice and evidence Mr. Kushner’s commitment to public service,” his attorney Jamie S. Gorelick said in the statement.
While Kushner’s appointment has raised eyebrows due to nepotism, the businessman’s attorneys told Vanity Fair that Kushner is exempt from anti-nepotism laws, which prevent government officials from appointing family members, because they do not apply to the White House.
Ivanka and her husband, who married in 2009, have already found a new home in D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood, which will also be home to the Obamas once they leave the White House. The couple plan to move into the six-bedroom home with their three children, Arabella, 5, Joseph, 3, and Theodore, 10 months.
