'Banana Republic Stuff': Mehdi Hasan Nails GOP Hypocrisy Over Trump's Latest Move

Political commentator Mehdi Hasan slammed Republicans for their silence after President-elect Donald Trump named two extended family members to key international relations posts.

“This is banana republic stuff from a party that obsessed over Hunter Biden,” the former MSNBC host, who is now editor-in-chief of Zeteo, wrote on social media, referring to the right’s fixation on tying President Joe Biden to the actions of his son, who has had a series of legal problems and a history of addiction.

Trump on Saturday said he would nominate Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner’s billionaire father, to be ambassador to France. The younger Kushner and wife Ivanka Trump were White House advisers during Trump’s first term, while the elder Kushner received a pardon from Trump over a mid-2000s felony conviction that led to a prison sentence.

On Sunday, Trump named billionaire attorney Massad Boulos to be adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Boulos is the father-in-law of Michael Boulos, the husband of Trump’s other daughter, Tiffany.

Hasan wrote on X, formerly Twitter:

Hasan shared a Times of Israel report that detailed the elder Boulos’ ties to a Christian faction in Lebanon that supports Hezbollah as well as links to an anti-Hezbollah Christian faction.

“Imagine if Biden had appointed as MidEast adviser a guy with connections to Hezbollah,” Hasan wrote. “The GOP and Fox would have lost their minds!”

Hasan’s initial post referencing Hunter Biden came hours before the president pardoned his son despite promising not to do so.

Once again, he spotted hypocrisy on the right, in particular calling out conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings, who said, “There has never been a bigger set of liars in this office than the Bidens.”

Hasan fired back: