WASHINGTON – Watchdog groups say White House advisor Kellyanne Conway violated ethics laws during a Thursday morning appearance on FoxNews, where she urged the public to buy products marketed by President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.
The exchange came when Conway was asked about the Nordstrom department store chain’s decision to stop selling Ivanka Trump’s line of clothing and accessories, and a tweet from President Trump that chided the retailer’s decision.
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017
Conway replied by telling the audience to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” continuing “it’s a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully – I’m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
Ethics organizations immediately filed complaints with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, slamming Conway for violating federal ethics regulations concerning the “use of office for private gain” that bar employees from product endorsements.
“Ms. Conway appears to have violated both the letter and the spirit of these rules when she used her position to endorse the clothing line of Ms. Turmp, the daughter of the president,” said a complaint filed by Noah Bookbinder, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Donald Trump vs. Nordstrom, explained
“Furthermore, we are concerned about what appears to be a pattern developing of the use of official offices, particularly the White House and the Executive Office of the President, to benefit business interests of relatives and supporters of the president.”
Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, said Conway’s remarks reflect “an ongoing careless disregard of the conflicts of interest laws and regulations by some members of the Trump family and Trump administration.”
“While many of these restrictions may not explicitly apply to the president or vice president, the administration’s employees are not immune from these ethics rules,” continued Holman, whose organization also asked the ethics office to investigate Conway.
House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz: Kellyanne Conway’s Ivanka Trump product plug was “clearly over the line” https://t.co/ApdqpXfo7v
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 9, 2017
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz – a Utah Republican – told the Associated Press that he and the committee’s top Democrat – Maryland’s Elijah Cummings – will write their own letter to the ethics office about Conway’s statements, and another to President Trump.
He classified her remarks as “wrong, wrong, wrong, clearly over the line, unacceptable.”
When asked about the fuss during an afternoon press briefing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Conway had been “counseled on that subject, and that’s it.”
“That’s all we’re going to go with,” Spicer said.
JUST IN: @PressSec says @Kellyannepolls “has been counseled on that subject” after she told people to buy @IvankaTrump products. pic.twitter.com/M8WjOLV5Jk
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 9, 2017
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