Another Trump Aide Plays Fast and Loose With Ethics Rules

Conway Hawks Ivanka Trump's Fashions

Another prominent member of President Trump’s inner circle is walking on thin ethical ice.

Kellyanne Conway, the President’s polling and communications guru, showed up on “Fox & Friends” this morning to deliver a plug for first daughter Ivanka Trump’s fashion line.

Speaking from the White House briefing room, Conway gushed that Trump fashions are “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.” Conway added that Ivanka Trump is a “very successful businesswoman” and an “incredibly confident, creative, talented woman.” You can watch it here:

 

Conway’s comments are “a clear violation of federal ethics law,” which bars executive branch employees from using their official positions to benefit themselves or others, said Paul Seamus Ryan, Common Cause’s Vice President for Policy and Litigation. Worse yet, the comments “are part of a much larger pattern, going from President Trump on down,” Ryan said.

The Conway endorsement follows a Twitter attack by the President himself on the Nordstrom department store chain, which has downgraded the placement of Ivanka Trump fashions in its stoes. Trump Tweeted earlier this week that the retailer has treated his daughter unfairly.

Nordstrom says that because of slumping sales, it ended special promotions of Ivanka Trump-labeled merchandise; the brand is still available at Nordstrom’s but has been mixed in with other lines on store racks and shelves.

Ivanka Trump meanwhile, says she is no longer participating in running her business or the family’s real estate empire. Her husband, Jared Kushner, is a top adviser to the President and the couple has relocated from New York to Washington since the election. Conway said she hopes to work with Ivanka Trump in the White House on issues involving “women empowerment.”