Eric Trump: Nepotism can be 'a beautiful thing'

Eric Trump, in an interview published Tuesday, dismissed criticism of President Donald Trump's preference for running his White House like a family business.

In an interview with the Telegraph, the president's son argued that hiring family members is smart because "you trust the people who are closest to you."

"He knows I care about the family," Eric Trump said. "He knows I care about the brand. He knows I deeply care about the properties, our amazing teams. And he knows I'm going to do everything I can humanly possible to take care of that."

He added: "Is that nepotism? Absolutely. Is that also a beautiful thing? Absolutely. Family business is a beautiful thing."

Eric Trump said family members enjoy all types of workplace advantages over other coworkers. The president's son said family members are more willing to level with another family member, and say "you might want to think about this," or "maybe you crossed the line here."

The White House has carefully attempted to tread the line on federal laws that prohibit federal government employees from hiring family members. Both Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have foregone paychecks while serving in senior adviser positions, and neither serve in appointed positions, where they would be barred under federal anti-nepotism laws.