Kellyanne Conway Accused of Breaking Ethics Rules With Ivanka Endorsement

By William Vogeler, Esq. on February 09, 2017 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Kellyanne Conway, the acerbic political adviser who calls herself a "fully recovered lawyer," is no stranger to contradictions.

In the Republican primaries not more than a year ago, Conway was attacking Donald Trump as an extremist "who seems to be offending his way to the nomination." Criticizing his use of eminent domain, she said, "Donald Trump has literally bulldozed over the little guy to get his way."

Now, Conway is serving as a senior adviser in the Trump White House. The latest contradiction, however, is that she is also promoting Ivanka Trump's clothing.

"You couldn't think of a clearer example of violating the ban of using your government position as kind of a walking billboard for products or services offered by a private individual," Harvard's Laurence Tribe told the New York Times. "She is attempting quite crudely to enrich Ivanka and therefore the president's family."

Questionable Ethics

Federal ethics rules prohibit executive branch employees from using their office "for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise." The House Oversight Committee, Public Citizen and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics are asking the Office of Government Ethics to investigate. It shouldn't take long to figure out because Conway endorsed Ivanka's clothing on national television.

"I'm going to go get some myself today," Conway told the hosts of Fox and Friends. " I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody."

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Conway had been counseled about her comments. In a press briefing, he declined to elaborate.

"She's been counseled on the subject, and that's it," he said.

Buy This, Not That

If the ethics office finds Conway violated the endorsements rule, it will probably recommend a reprimand. Termination is also possible, but sanctions are unlikely because the White House will make the final decision.

Trump himself criticized Nordstrom's for dropping his daughter's clothing line. And last month, he tweeted his support for another retailer, saying, "People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean."

Conway, uncharacteristically, had no comment about the alleged ethics violations. Not even a word about where she's buying Ivanka's clothing.

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