Washington, Jan 22 (IANS): US President Donald Trump's son-in-law has been cleared to work in the White House as a Senior Adviser, according to a Department of Justice memo.

Trump's hiring of Jared Kushner would not violate a federal anti-nepotism law because a loophole grants the President the authority to hire employees who are family members, New York Post quoted Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel Koffsky as saying in the memo on Friday.

The 14-page opinion matches the legal argument Kushner's Attorney Jamie Gorelick made to ensure the real estate mogul could get a role in the Trump administration without violating federal conflict of interest laws.

Kushner, 36, had been one of Trump's closest advisers throughout the presidential campaign and could emerge as his top aide in the White House. Trump has signalled Kushner will play a key role in foreign affairs, including the Middle East peace process and US-Israeli relations.

He has been in the process of stepping down as CEO of Kushner Companies, his family's real estate firm, divesting his assets from the company, and shifting control of the newspaper he owned to his brother-in-law, according to reports.