Yeomans: It’s Risky to Hire the Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 14 – In the latest edition of Yeomans Work, “It’s Risky to Hire the Kids,” AFJ’s Ronald Goldfarb Fellow for Justice, Bill Yeomans, makes his case that the children of President Trump and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn children could be the “thread that Mueller and Congress will pull to unravel the Trump presidency.” He writes:

“If Mueller develops criminal charges against Trump, Jr. and/or Kushner, the President’s paternal role will put him in a bind.  If they were not family members, he would quickly sever relations, as, for example, Nixon did with his longtime aides Haldeman and Ehrlichman.  Indeed, it is hard to imagine that Kushner would still have a security clearance and be employed at the White House if he were not related to Trump.  His continued participation in White House matters threatens daily to increase the legal exposure of his colleagues, most of who have now had to retain counsel.  If he were not Trump’s son, Trump, Jr. might well have gone the way of Paul Manafort during the campaign – dismissed as part of a cleansing process.  But, family ties prevented that.

“Since Trump cannot cut his family members loose, his back will be against the wall if Mueller moves against them.  Trump’s history suggests he may try to fire Mueller or impede the investigation in other ways.  By that point, the investigation will be far enough along that it will be impossible to stop and Congress is likely to step in to protect Mueller.  That may encourage Trump to issue pardons to save the family.  I have discussed previously the consequences of pardons, including that they would likely ignite a political firestorm and contribute to an obstruction of justice article of impeachment.”

The “glaring lesson,” according to Yeomans, “is to love your kids, but think twice about hiring them if you plan to run for president or work on someone else’s campaign.”