Trump’s Cabinet Gets Another Jewish Mogul — and Conflicts of Interest

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By Daniel J. Solomon December 22, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump promised to “drain the swamp” in his campaign for the White House. But recently, he’s been saying according to Newt Gingrich that he doesn’t find that slogan “cute” anymore — and yesterday he added yet another insider adviser. This time, it’s billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who will serve as a special, uncompensated adviser on business regulations.

Because the post isn’t an official government job, Icahn won’t have to recuse himself from any business deals affected by the regulatory work he’ll be doing, writes Matt Yglesias at Vox. A friend of longstanding to the president-elect, Icahn made his fortune through his stock market savvy, and he possesses large stakes in a number of major American corporations.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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