Trump picks Conway’s husband for key justice post

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has selected White House adviser Kellyanne Conway’s husband to head the civil division of the Justice Department, placing him in charge of the Presidents travel ban and lawsuits, a media report said.

George T. Conway III, 53, would lead the division of about 1,000 lawyers, handling issues like national security and consumer protection and enforcing federal programmes and the actions of the President himself, The New York Times report said on Saturday.

However, the decision was not immediately confirmed either by the White House or the Justice Department

If confirmed, George T. Conway III would immediately be in charge of representing Trump in the legal challenges - which are widely expected to reach the Supreme Court - over his executive order barring people from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US.

The White House narrowed the directive after its original version was blocked last month by judges who said it did not advance national security interests and violated the due process rights of lawful permanent residents, people holding visas and refugees.

Last week, two other federal judges -- one in Hawaii and one in Maryland -- moved to block the revised order, suggesting that it probably constituted religious discrimination.

George T. Conway III would also oversee Trump’s defence in a pending lawsuit charging him with violations of the US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bans federal officeholders from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments because of the profits his hotels and resorts receive from foreign officials who are customers, The New York Times said in the report.

George T. Conway III had been a contender for the job of solicitor general for the Trump administration, but the President announced this month that the job would go to Noel J. Francisco.

He is a partner at the New York City firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katzandspecialisesinsecurities, contract and antitrust litigation, as well as mergers and acquisitions, according to his biography on the firm’s website.