“He then essentially explained to me that Mel Gibson has a personal relationship with President Trump and that should be sufficient basis for me to make a recommendation and that I would be wise to make the recommendation,” she said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrimonialism

Patrimonialism is a form of governance in which the ruler governs on the basis of personal loyalties which are derived from patron-client relations, personal allegiances, kin ties and combinations thereof.[1] Patrimonialism is closely related to corruption, opportunism and machine politics.[2] It can contribute to underdevelopment and weak state capacity.[3]

In contrast to many other systems of governance, the ruler does not derive their legitimacy from their personal charisma or a sense of mission, but primarily through their ability to dole out rewards and punishments.[1][2] Initially coined by Max Weber, patrimonialism stands in contrast to rational-legal bureaucracies, as there is no objective of efficiency in public administration and government staff are not advanced based on merit, experience and training.