Busted: NY Times exposes Trump's 'billionaire' adviser as just an obscure truck salesman

President-elect Donald Trump generated controversy when he tapped Massad Boulos, the Lebanese-American father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany, to a key role in Middle East advisory policy, raising a fresh wave of criticism about how he awards government roles to members of his family.

But, according to The New York Times, the hire may be even odder than it first appeared.

That's because, although Boulos has long been rumored to be a fabulously wealthy financier, possibly a billionaire, whom Trump lauded as a “highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene,” the new report claims he's actually just a low-level truck salesman.

According to the Times, newly revealed records indicate Boulos "has spent the past two decades selling trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria for a company his father-in-law controls. The company, SCOA Nigeria PLC, made a profit of less than $66,000 last year, corporate filings show."

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As for the claims about his wealth, "The truck dealership is valued at about $865,000 at its current share price. Mr. Boulos’s stake, according to securities filings, is worth $1.53" — and there's no indication he has significant wealth from other sources.

Meanwhile, "as for Boulos Enterprises, the company that has been called his family business in The Financial Times and elsewhere, a company officer there said it is owned by an unrelated Boulos family," the report continued.

When Trump last held office, much of his Middle East policy was shaped by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose principal work experience up to that point had been in his family's real estate business, and who since departing politics has been involved in investments in Saudi Arabia.

This time, Trump will be returning to office with the Middle East in a more precarious position, after over a year of war between Israel and radical groups in Gaza and Lebanon.