Conway violates ethics rules, urging Americans to 'go buy Ivanka's stuff'

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Conway violates ethics rules, urging Americans to ‘go buy Ivanka’s stuff’

Multiple legal experts and former White House officials say Kellyanne Conway’s endorsement on TV of the Ivanka Trump brand violated ethics rules governing executive branch employees. Conway, a counselor to the president, made the remarks on Fox News on Thursday morning, responding to the recent decision by Nordstrom to remove Ivanka Trump items from its shelves. “This is just a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to give a free commercial here,” Conway said. “Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.” Former White House ethics officials and other legal experts said her endorsement appears to be a clear-cut violation of an ethics regulation barring executive branch employees from endorsing products and using their public office for the private gain of friends.

It is accurate to say that she broke the law. It’s not a criminal law. It’s a regulation.

Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and a member of the D.C. Bar rules of professional conduct review committee, said the action would normally prompt some type of “employment discipline” within the White House

The White House says it has “counseled” Conway, but House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz says that’s not enough, calling what she did “wrong, wrong, wrong, clearly over the line, unacceptable.” The Utah Republican congressman said he will join with Democratic Oversight leader Elijah Cummings to ask the Office of Government Ethics to review the matter. Chaffetz also said he will write a formal letter to the White House lodging his irritation. He said White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s remark that Conway has been “counseled” doesn’t go far enough. While Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are not subject to ethical regulations and laws for federal employees, Conway, who is a counselor to the president, is. In addition to the House Oversight Committee, two liberal-funded government watchdogs pounced on Conway’s comments, filing ethics violation complaints with the Office of Government Ethics, which advises and oversees federal employees on such issues but is not an enforcement agency.

Conway’s action reflects an ongoing careless disregard of the conflicts-of-interest laws and regulations by some members of the Trump family and Trump administration.

Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen