Ivanka Trump: A White House force, just not an ’employee’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump will have a security clearance, a West Wing office and the ear of her father on important policy matters. But don’t call her an employee.
When it comes to government work, “employee” is more than just a word. That designation triggers an array of transparency and ethical provisions, including a law prohibiting conflicts of interest.
Government watchdogs are concerned that by refusing to call Ivanka Trump an employee, White House counsel Don McGahn could be attempting to give her a loophole if she improperly mingles her government policy roles with her business and financial interests.
In a letter Friday to McGahn, they ask him to reconsider, saying the position as designed “creates a middle space that does not exist.” It is signed by two former White House lawyers and three other transparency and ethics advocates, all of whom have been highly critical of the Trump administration’s approach to ethics.