Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) declared in a new interview he would fire Jared Kushner on the first day of his presidency, although that would suggest Kushner would have remained in the White House under a new administration.
Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, and he has been tasked with developing a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians.
Answering a series of New York Times questions as part of a series on the 2020 Democratic candidates, Swalwell said he would push for a two-state solution when asked if Israel met international human rights standards. Swalwell added that he would terminate someone who wouldn't be in his employ.
"Israel is a country that needs to work with the Palestinian people to find a two-state solution," Swalwell said. "I support putting the U.S. back into the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. I support increasing aid to the Palestinian people, and I’m going to fire Jared Kushner on Day One, because he has no business being on the job of seeking a two-state solution or finding peace in the Middle East. It requires serious scholars and a serious leader committed to making it happen."
Setting aside the unlikelihood of Swalwell even winning the Democratic nomination and ultimately the presidency, it is unlikely Kushner would be a holdover from the Trump administration to his. For instance, President Trump did not have to fire senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett when he took office; she just left.
Swalwell, who has centered his campaign around enacting harsh gun control measures, also told the Times that his most recent embarrassing moment was mistaking fireworks outside his house for gunshots.