Story highlights Donald Trump's son-in-law is shaping up as one of the central figures of the new administration, writes Errol Louis

Jared Kushner could be powerful behind the scenes -- or could start a Trump media venture, Louis says

Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) The unceremonious removal of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as chairman of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team won't be the last power play by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a young businessman who is shaping up as one of the central figures of the new administration.

Kushner is far less well known than his wife, Ivanka Trump, but is clearly a force to be reckoned with, wielding tremendous influence behind the scenes.

It's widely assumed in political circles that the sacking of Christie was at least partly an act of personal payback by Kushner. Back in 2004, then-U.S. Attorney Christie convicted Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, on a variety of charges including tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions.

The elder Kushner got the maximum sentence of two years in prison, in part because Christie wrote a tough memo calling Kushner's actions "fiendish." Jared Kushner regularly visited his father during the year he served behind bars -- and years later, reportedly helped kill Christie's chances of becoming Trump's vice-presidential running mate.

With no love lost between the men, it looks like Kushner came out on top again, showing a flair for the hard-knuckled political infighting that is a staple of life in the jungle warfare of Washington.

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