Ivanka Trump, known un-affectionately by some White House staff memebers as “Princess Royal,” reportedly “took over” one of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s transition team meetings last year and —against advice — basically told Mike Flynn his “amazing loyalty” to her father earned him whatever job he wanted.
In an extensive The New Yorker profile of Vice President Mike Pence published on Monday, although Christie led the transition team at the time, Ivanka Trump overruled him and took control of a transition team meeting last fall.
Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband and now a senior White House adviser to President Trump, reportedly despised Christie, because Christie prosecuted Kushner’s father while Christie served as U.S. attorney.
Just as he was warned by outgoing-President Barack Obama, Christie warned Trump not to give Flynn a high-level job. Flynn had been removed as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency by Obama and rumors of a Russian connection made him too risky a choice.
On Nov. 11, 2016, Christie was chairing a transition meeting and noticed Flynn and Gen. Keith Kellogg in attendance, four sources told The New Yorker.
“Gentlemen, can I help you?” Christie reportedly asked.
Ivanka Trump said she invited the two men and cited Flynn’s “amazing loyalty” to her father and asked, “General, what job do you want?”
A participant in the meeting told The New Yorker, “It was like Princess Ivanka had laid the sword on Flynn’s shoulders and said, ‘Rise and go forth.'”
A source close to Ivanka Trump didn’t deny the account but said her role was exaggerated.
Flynn said he would settle for national security adviser if he could not be defense secretary.
Hours later, Christie was replaced by Pence who had no qualms about hiring Flynn. A week later, Trump announced Flynn as the national security advisor.
As Trump’s term in office began, more surfaced about Flynn’s paid lobbying during the 2016 election campaign on behalf of Turkish interests and conversations with Russia officials during the transition. Flynn ended up resigning after Pence made misleading statements about Flynn based on allegedly misleading information given to the VP by Flynn.
Flynn is embroiled in the Russia investigation, spearheaded by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
