Published in The News Record
Photograph Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (C) delivers remarks with his children (L-R) Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump at a ribbon cutting ceremony at Trump International Hotel on October 26, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Oct 22, 2018
Nepotism gets a bad rap in the minds of most. But how bad is it, really?
In the current presidential administration, it’s the process of hiring or appointing relatives without concern for qualifications, which leads to complications regarding the evaluation of eligibility as well as discrimination against other qualified candidates.
After Nikki Haley stepped down as ambassador to the United Nations, Donald Trump tossed out the idea of appointing his daughter, Ivanka, for the position. This would, of course, be a direct example of nepotism — but isn’t unheard of in the political sphere. When Bill Clinton was president, he appointed his wife to chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, which led to a lawsuit filed by a lobbying group under an anti-nepotism statute, according to NPR.
Title 5 of the U.S. Code discusses restrictions concerning the employment of relatives. It states that a public official cannot advocate for the appointment, employment or advancement of a relative to a civilian position in an agency. The key term here is “civilian.” It’s not technically illegal for Trump to appoint Ivanka as ambassador, or to select her husband, Jared Kushner, as his senior adviser. But is it the right decision?
During George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, there were many claims of nepotism and “family connections” by the press and other candidates. However, these allegations “offered no supporting evidence” according to a report from Pew Research.
So, when does nepotism become a dangerous practice? When it hurts your image? Or when it leads to discrimination?
Trumps himself addressed that the appointment of Ivanka would be an act of nepotism, and he has since announced that he is considering Goldman Sachs’ Dina Powell for ambassador, according to Time magazine.
As humans, we’re naturally tied to our family unit and inclined to help them out. But doing so could allow for blindness toward other, more qualified candidates.
As a high-ranking government or corporate official, hiring family may seem like a good idea — after all, you know them, and you trust them. But there are only three black CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, according to The Wall Street Journal, and only 25 women, according to Business Insider. So, while nepotism may not be an intentionally corrupt practice, it can lead to racial and gender-based discrimination in hiring as well as general non-familial discrimination.
Maggy McDonel 