Rubio tries to explain why he brought Tiffany Trump’s husband to an official meeting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said relatively little about the Trump administration’s recent deal with Iran to end the war despite his role as the nation’s chief diplomat, though it would be an overstatement to suggest the Florida Republican has been disengaged.

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On the contrary, Rubio has met this week with leaders of several Middle Eastern countries, ostensibly to extend some reassurances to U.S. partners in the region.

The New York Times, however, reported on a detail from one of those meetings that stood out. From the article:

Mr. Rubio began his travels on Wednesday by meeting with the Emirati leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in Abu Dhabi. The two spoke about Iran and commerce between the United States and the Emirates, the State Department said in a summary. Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Michael Boulos, a businessman with no official government position, sat beside Mr. Rubio at the meeting.

“He was just there to see me and catch up,” Mr. Rubio said. When asked whether Mr. Boulos was involved in policy discussions, the secretary said, “No, no.”

The secretary apparently wasn’t embarrassed by any of this: Rubio posted a photograph via social media showing him meeting with the United Arab Emirate’s president, with Donald Trump’s son-in-law seated just to Rubio’s right.

Ordinarily when we think about one of Trump’s sons-in-law having access and attending important meetings, the focus is on Jared Kushner. Boulos’ access, however, is a separate matter entirely.