CHINATOWN — Mayor Bill de Blasio said he has been in touch with Jared Kushner since Donald Trump’s election and finds the president-elect’s son-in-law and latest White House pick to be a “very reasonable person” who cares about the city.
The mayor spoke about the real estate scion Monday afternoon after news broke that Kushner would serve as a senior adviser in Washington D.C.
“I respect him a lot. I’ve known him for years and find him to be a very reasonable person. He’s certainly someone I’ve been talking to over these last weeks,” de Blasio said during an unrelated press conference in Chinatown.
“He’s someone I intend to stay in touch with on behalf of the people of New York City. I think he’s someone who really cares about New York City and is someone who will be very helpful to us.”
The mayor demurred on whether he thought there was a conflict of interesting in Trump choosing his eldest daughter’s husband for a top position.
“The conflict of interest I can’t speak to because I don’t know all of the details. I don’t think any of us know all the details,” de Blasio said. “But I would say that the Trump administration should be very, very careful about conflicts of interest."
Kushner and Ivanka Trump have already purchased a home in Washington.
Both Trump’s representatives and Kushner did not respond to an earlier request for comment on his appointment.
