WASHINGTON–Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will have unprecedented power in the White House — and a top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney could be at his side, The Post has learned.
That man is Neil Patel, who worked for Cheney and co-founded The Daily Caller.
“Neil Patel is one of the most capable and talented people I have ever worked with during my time in Washington,” Cheney told The Post.
“He worked with me throughout my 8 years as Vice President. I strongly recommended him to the new administration,” he said.
One source familiar with the West Wing office said Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband, is building an office “unprecedented in its power” that could rival or even top the White House chief of staff slot held by Reince Priebus.
But, the source added, “There’s nobody in the White House with experience.”
Patel would change that. “He knows how to get things done in the White House. The fear is that a lot of the Trump administration’s goals are going to be short-circuited by the bureaucracy.”
“His expertise is organizational. He understands how the bureaucracy works — and nobody is better at than him,” the source added.
“If you think of the White House as scaling Everest, you wouldn’t want to attempt it without some like Neil.”
Despite running a media enterprise, insiders describe Patel as publicity adverse. He did not respond to a request for comment.
The first hire in Kushner’s office was announced Thursday. Avi Berkowitz, a former Trump campaign staffer, will work as special assistant to the president and assistant to senior adviser Kushner, the transition team said.