Kushner’s and Mnuchin’s Quick Pivots to Business With the Gulf
New York TimesAUG 2022
The revolving door effect is nothing new: many bureaucrats accept the grind of an official role precisely for the opportunity to profit from it when they leave office. But this is something different: Kushner and Mnuchin appear to have used their role as representatives of the US to advance their personal interests while still in office.
Kushner and Mnuchin's funds may be unseemly, but they don't violate any ethical rules because federal ethics guidelines - by design - don't apply to the White House nor to officials once they have left office. These issues are not limited to one party, nor are they as black and white as press coverage might suggest.
The constant flow of damning reports about the Trump admin. and its aftermath is making one thing clear: the US has lost its ability to identify, punish, and deter corruption. When self-dealing is the very modus operandi of an entire admin., accountability becomes impossible. The rule of law is being degraded and it doesn't seem likely to improve.