I’d be interested in your/their comments on those issues.
The salary would have to be a significant pay raise, with a guaranteed severance. But I’d consider it. It would be a resume booster at the very least, but the salary would have to be significant enough to make up for having to relocate. $170K is not close.
At this point, I doubt that any underwriters in their right mind would offer such insurance to a Trump hire at all, much less at a “very reasonable price”.
Seems to me that if one always acted in accordance with one’s professional ethics, then one wouldn’t have to worry about needing professional liability insurance.
That being said, I don’t think it’s possible to work in this administration and have any scruples whatsoever.
Since there’s “serious risk,” in your estimation, can you describe a scenario in which a successful lawsuit might be leveled against a person who accept the offer described in the OP?
For those who think it’s a resume booster, I’m not seeing a ton of evidence for that. In previous administrations, yes. This administration? Maybe not.
There’s no guaranteed severance for political appointees. I’d be shocked if there was severance at all, under any circumstances.
I believe I heard during his interview on the Late Show several weeks ago that Obama NSC staffer Ben Rhodes racked up tens of thousands of dollars of legal expenses in relation to the bogus Benghazi investigations, but I can’t find a transcript of that.
As far as what situations may arise that puts a senior Administration official in serious risk, I’d throw out some scenarios:
- Investigations by Congress or the special counsel relating to things that could happen during your employment.
- Involvement in off-hours electioneering (e.g., involvement in fundraising etc) that is later questioned.
- Either at your own initiative or under pressure from someone else, you take some kind of action to subvert or sandbag a Presidential policy.
- Being sued by Trump for violating his own personal NDA.
I could think up more examples, but here’s my bottom-line opinion: if you take a senior political position in the government and you don’t have a lawyer experienced in these types of matters, you are either totally out of your league in taking such a job, or you are a stunningly and outrageously ignorant person. Oh, wait, that’s the same thing. But it goes double for this Administration.
ETA: Plus, it doesn’t matter one bit if you think that you’re a good person who won’t do stupid things: half of this city will be out to get you for any reason, real or imagined.
That’s an assumption on my part. It’s one of those things that you can talk about during interviews that helps you stand out among a field of candidates. When I was interviewing, there was one candidate I remember that I was on the fence on if I should bring them in, but I saw they were a white house intern and that was interesting so I agreed to the interview.
Well then that’s right out. Too risky for me and I’m pretty risk averse. Do they do signing bonuses? 
Are you suggesting that you only have to pay legal bills if there is a successful case against you? I’ve fortunately never been put in a position of having to arrange for my defense in court, but it is my understanding that many a person has been ruined by legal bills even if in the end it was determined that they did nothing wrong.
1 & 2 don’t describe lawsuits.
2 & 3 involve doing something else besides your appointed job, which wasn’t part of the initial hypothetical.
4 involves a lawsuit, but it assumes you sign an NDA, which wasn’t part of the initial hypothetical:
When your book deal/speaking tour/plea bargain is announced, you just explain that you were lying when you took the oath because it benefited you personally to do so. Anyone working in the Trump administration will understand.
Ok, fine. I guess a person shouldn’t have an attorney if they aren’t going to be sued.
Number two is probably – but not definitely – a wink-wink-nudge-nudge “part of the job.” I don’t think it is necessary to have to fill in all the blanks for what working in the White House may be like. For example, I didn’t write in the OP that you’d be working for a tremendous asshole. That’s sort of left to the reader.
As for 3, it seems to be common practice; so again, I’m not sure why I have to spell literally everything out for you.
See my responses on the two prior items.
Just a quick question: when I said in the OP that a person would have a $170k salary, should I have included details like the parking and/or Metro card situation?
I’m too old to switch careers, and I don’t want to relocate. Whether or not it’s Trump makes no difference. So No, but thank you for asking.
Regards,
Shodan
No, because they don’t involve material aspects of the job. But a personal NDA – do you have some citation that this is required from National Security Council appointees? I don’t agree that this happens at all, much less so frequently that we should simply assume its truth. I don’t even agree that #2 is so common as to be taken as a given.
Do you have any evidence for any of the assertions?
The cite below says that “dozens” of White House appointees signed NDAs, but the process was “haphazard.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/01/kushner-fundraises-for-mark-meadows-242244
https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article217284270.html
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/03/trump-2020-donors-bundling-433886
(see references to Rick Dearborn and Bill Stepien)
Sure. A green card might come in handy.
If one is a Hillary supporter or centrist, maybe, but since the OP asks this of Trump supporters, Trumpers are much more likely to work, live or socialize in Republican/conservative circles and job networks - in which working in the Trump White House would be not only a resume booster, but a grand slam.
If one has $60k of student debt, a $170k job is pretty appealing. Or if one likes notoriety and is fascinated by the prospect of flying in Air Force One or being in the White House or hobknobbing with famous people or being able to say, “I saw the president on a daily basis”, then it’s quite the job to have.
Contacts, mate, contacts. After a few months you’ll have met a LOT of important people.
Given what I’ve posted of Trump here, he wouldn’t offer me the job. And then there’s not being American 'n all…
Except it hasn’t been, at least as of earlier this year: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/05/15/putting-white-house-resume-less-boost/BSNVmebfnTFzjzoxB77bII/story.html?et_rid=1822198182&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
Employers aren’t super eager to hire these staffers because of controversy, a sense that they aren’t particularly qualified, and the staffers’ lack of knowledge of how DC works.