11 Jews occupy top positions in Trump’s administration

Monday, 30 January 2017

11 Jews occupy top positions in Trump’s administration

Palestine Information Center – January 28, 2017

Eleven Jews assume top positions in the administration of the new US president Donald Trump, according to an Israeli report published on Friday.

Under the headline “Meet the top Jewish officials in the Trump administration”, the right-wing Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post introduced the 11 influential Jewish figures working alongside Trump.

However, the newspaper pointed out that Trump won 24% of the Jewish vote.

According to the Paper, the 11 Jewish figures are:

Jared Kushner

Kushner is Trump’s 36-year-old son-in-law and will serve as his senior advisor.

The Paper said that Kushner will not receive a salary and will focus on the Middle East and Israel, partnership with the private sector, and free trade.

It added, “Kushner married Trump’s daughter in 2009 and played an essential role in the president’s election campaign especially in Israel.”

David Friedman

Friedman, who is in his late fifties, has worked for a long time as Trump’s lawyer. He speaks Hebrew and owns a house in al-Talbiya neighborhood in Jerusalem.

Trump announced Friedman US ambassador to Israel.

The Jerusalem Post noted that Friedman “funded and declared support for the Israeli settlements and expressed his doubts about the future of the two-state solution.”

Jason Greenblatt

He is an Orthodox Jew who studied in a religious school in the West Bank in the mid-eighties and did armed guard duty there, according to the newspaper.

Greenblatt is going to serve as special representative for international negotiations with focus on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the US-Cuba relations, and the US trade agreements with other countries.

Greenblatt told the Israeli Army Radio in November 2016 that Trump “will not impose any solution on Israel” and that “he doesn’t view the Jewish settlements as an obstacle to peace process.”

Steven Mnuchin

Mnuchin, 54, will serve as the US Treasury secretary.

The Paper mentioned that Trump and Mnuchin have been friends for 15 years, and before assuming the financial affairs of Trump’s campaign, Mnuchin served as his advisor.

Stephen Miller

Miller, 31, was named senior adviser for policy.

The Paper pointed out that Miller, who worked previously as a parliamentary assistant, played a vital role in Trump’s campaign by writing speeches.

Carl Icahn

An 80-year-old businessman and investor who is going to serve as special adviser in the regulatory reform issues.

The paper said that he will be working in his capacity as a private citizen not as a federal employee or a special government employee.

Icahn, who is one of the earliest supporters of Trump’s candidacy, is the founder of Icahn, New York-based diversified business companies.

Gary Cohn

Cohn, 56, will head the National Economic Council of the White House.

He occupied senior positions in a number of companies, according to Jerusalem Post.

Boris Epshteyn

Epshteyn is in his mid-thirties. He will work as a special assistant to the president, and also as an assistant communications director for surrogate operations.

Epshteyn, who moved to the United States from Moscow in 1993, is an investment and finance lawyer living in New York. He defended Trump on major TV networks more than 100 times.

David Shulkin

A 57-year-old internist who is going to serve as Minister of Veterans Affairs once the Congress accepts.

He worked as assistant minister for health in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and held senior positions in hospitals, universities and companies.

Reed Cordish

Cordish is in his early forties and is going to serve as the president’s assistant for intragovernmental and technology initiatives. He will be responsible for the initiatives which require multi-agency collaboration focusing on technological innovation and modernization.

The newspaper said that he is a partner at his family’s real estate and entertainment company in the state of Baltimore.

Avrahm Berkowitz

The 27-year-old Harvard Law School graduate will serve as a special assistant to president Trump and Jared Kushner.

Berkowitz is a friend of Kushner, and after graduating from College, Berkowitz worked for Kushner’s Companies and wrote for his newspaper, the New York Observer.