As rumours continue to swirl this week about president-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 selections for senior White House and cabinet posts, an influential member of Trump鈥檚 inner circle has emerged as a key player in the transition process. A shadowy figure during the campaign, Trump鈥檚 son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has reportedly been behind some of the future president鈥檚 most important appointments.

Republican strategist Cory Crowley told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning that the 35-year-old is believed to be his father-in-law鈥檚 close confidante and a 鈥渃alming force鈥� throughout the campaign.

Crowley said Kushner鈥檚 advice to Trump during the final weeks of the campaign turned out to be particularly helpful and could potentially land him an important advisory role in the White House.

Who exactly is Jared Kushner? CTVNews.ca has rounded up some quick facts about the future president鈥檚 favoured son-in-law.

  • Kushner married Trump鈥檚 eldest daughter Ivanka Trump in a lavish ceremony at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey in October, 2009. Ivanka converted to Judaism so she could marry Kushner. The couple are raising their three young children together in the Orthodox Jewish faith.
  • Kushner is the son of New York real estate mogul, Charles Kushner. He serves as the CEO of the family鈥檚 real estate and construction business, Kushner Companies, as well as publisher of the New York Observer, a Manhattan-based newspaper.
  • In 2005, his father was sentenced to two years in prison for tax evasion, making illegal campaign contributions and witness intimidation. The plea deal was negotiated by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who was working as a federal prosecutor at the time.

    There has been speculation that Kushner played a role in Christie鈥檚 demotion from the head of Trump鈥檚 transition team and advocated for vice president-elect Mike Pence over Christie as Trump鈥檚 running mate during the campaign. He is also said to be behind the ouster of some key allies of Christie in the transition team, including former Congressman Mike Rogers.
  • Like his wife, Kushner had a privileged upbringing and attended Harvard University. Author and journalist Daniel Golden has suggested that Kushner was admitted to the elite school after his family donated millions of dollars to the institution. He was later granted a joint M.B.A and a law degree from New York University.
  • During the summer, Kushner defended Trump against accusations of anti-Semitism during the campaign. He wrote an opinion piece in his own newspaper where he invoked his Jewish grandparents who survived the Holocaust and claimed that the worst Trump鈥檚 critics could say about him 鈥渋s that he has been careless in retweeting imagery that can be interpreted as offensive.鈥�
  • When Trump met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Nov. 10, Kushner was seen strolling the grounds with Obama鈥檚 chief-of-staff Denis McDonough, provoking speculation that Kushner would be following his father-in-law to the White House. Trump鈥檚 three eldest children, including Ivanka, have maintained they will stay in New York to manage the family business while Trump is president.
  • Kushner has also said that he will return to his role in the private sector. However, reports that Trump has tried to obtain top security clearance for his son-in-law to attend presidential briefings, suggests Kushner may take on a more substantial role.

    Crowley said Kushner will probably become a 鈥渟pecial adviser鈥� to the president because nepotism laws prevent him from serving in an official capacity. 鈥淲hen it comes to the executive office of the president, there鈥檚 great latitude for the president to put his own advisers in place,鈥� he said.

With files from The Associated Press