NEW YORK: White House chief of staff John Kelly, who has been trying to impose a military-style order on a chaotic Trump administration, is pushing back on the notion that he has discussed the possibility of President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner leaving the White House by the end of the year.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Kelly, a retired four-star general, had floated the possibility of ousting Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both of whom serve as senior advisers to the president and play prominent roles in his administration.
The developments follow similar reports indicating Trump himself has questioned whether the first daughter and her husband should remain in the White House amid negative press surrounding their involvement in his administration.
"There was honestly never a time when I contemplated getting rid of Jared and Ivanka," Kelly told the Times.
Kushner, a 36-year-old real estate heir, spent most of his first year in the White House under the spotlight. He was frequently seen with the president during meetings and at public appearances, and has had a vast portfolio of responsibilities.
But unlike his predecessor Reince Priebus, Kelly has sought to curb the free rein Kushner once enjoyed in the West Wing. According to the Times, Gen Kelly has asserted his authority over the president's son-in-law, who has more recently taken on a more behind-the-scenes role. "Jared works for me," Kelly is said to have told others in the White House, according to the Times.
Kushner's allies say that his increasingly low-key role is a reflection of his success in helping to stabilize a White House once consumed by infighting and chaos.
Without Priebus and former chief strategist Stephen Bannon in the picture, they say Kushner can focus more on his own projects and initiatives, according to the Times.
Kushner is still working on an effort to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians, and is focusing attention on the need to modernize the government's aging technology.
But his portfolio has been limited, the Times reported, and he is no longer seen as the unchecked right-hand man to the president that he once was.
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