Washington
The endorsement, in which Kellyanne Conway told Fox News Channel viewers to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” appeared to violate a key ethics rule barring federal employees from using their public office to endorse products. The White House reaction was a rare acknowledgment of an ethical misstep.
Conway’s remarks drew a sharp and unusual rebuke from a top Republican lawmaker, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who said Conway’s comments were “absolutely wrong, wrong, wrong” and “clearly over the line.”
Chaffetz, who has resisted calls by Democrats to investigate potential conflicts related to President Trump’s businesses, joined with the Oversight Committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, in sending a letter to the Office of Government Ethics calling Conway’s comments “unacceptable.”
The letter asked the agency to recommend discipline given that Trump, who as Conway’s agency head would ordinarily take action, holds an “inherent conflict of interest” due to the involvement of his daughter’s business.
In a terse comment to reporters on Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Conway had been “counseled on the subject” but did not say whether she would be disciplined. Spicer did not say why Conway’s statements had required the intervention, and the White House declined to answer further questions.
The incident was the latest illustration of how the Trump White House has struggled to grapple with long-established ethics rules as the president has attempted to balance the potentially competing interests of his new public position and his family’s vast business holdings.
The matter has grown politically thorny in recent weeks as many opponents of Trump’s policies have waged a campaign to boycott the family’s brands and protest at its properties. The tensions underscore the difficulty Trump faces in carrying through on his vow to separate his presidency from his businesses – particularly given that he and his daughter have refused to divest their ownership stakes.
The president has faced criticism from ethics experts and Democratic lawmakers who have warned that his public power could be misused to enrich him and his family. Trump has turned the management of his businesses over to his two adult sons and a longtime executive.
While Trump has said that most ethics laws and rules do not apply to the president, Conway’s stumble Thursday served as a reminder that staffers are nonetheless subject to those provisions.
Conway’s endorsement of Ivanka Trump’s brand followed a tweet Wednesday by President Trump complaining that his daughter had “been treated so unfairly” by the department store Nordstrom, which dropped her clothing line, citing slow sales.
Conway touted Ivanka Trump’s “wonderful line” of clothing and shoes during an interview on Thursday morning with Fox & Friends.