Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser to President Donald Trump, was “counseled” after promoting Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessory brand during an interview from the White House Thursday morning, as Democrats are now calling for an investigation into whether the comments broke government rules.
Conway, in a Fox News interview from the White House, urged people to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.”
“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I would tell you,” Conway said. “It’s a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to just, I’m going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
The comments could run afoul with federal law that bars public employees from making an “endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.”
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland urged Chairman Jason Chaffetz to refer Conway to the government ethics watchdog office for potentially breaking rules barring government employees from endorsing private businesses.
Cummings pointed to the comments, writing to Chaffetz, R-Utah, “this appears to be a textbook violation of government ethics laws and regulations enacted to prevent the abuse of an employee’s government position.”
The Maryland Democrat cited federal statutes, an executive order signed by President George W. Bush and regulations put out by the Office Government Ethics that prohibit using public office for personal gain.
Cummings argued that since the oversight panel has jurisdiction over laws addressing White House employees it should make the referral.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said during his daily briefing: “Kellyanne has been counseled. … She’s been counseled on that subject.”
It’s the latest in a string of ethics concerns raised about the Trump administration’s relationship with the family’s private businesses since he assumed office.
Spicer did not outline what he meant by Conway being “counseled.”
When pressed for details, Spicer simply said: “That’s it.”