Day 18: Kellyanne Conway’s Endorsment of Ivanka Trump’s Products Raises MAJOR Ethics Questions, As If This Wasn’t Already a Concern

On Thursday Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump’s top advisors, appeared on Fox & Friends for what seemed like a routine interview. Conway found herself the target of pointed criticism after she encouraged Americans to purchase products from first daughter Ivanka Trump’s fashion line, an action many critics say violates clear ethics rules. Employees of the executive branch are prohibited from profiting from their positions, although Trump is exempt from this clause because he is the president.

“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I was [saying] — I hate shopping and I’m going to go get some myself today,” Conway said in the interview. “I’m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”

Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, conferred with Democratic oversight leader Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.) and the two are recommending disciplinary action for Conway’s violation in a bipartisan letter they penned to the Office of Government Ethics and the president.

“In this case, there is an additional challenge, which is that the President, as the ultimate disciplinary authority for White House employees, has an inherent conflict of interest since Conway’s statements relate to his daughter’s private business,” the letter said.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Conway was ‘counseled’ for this grievous breach of conduct, but many don’t think this is good enough. Of all of the concerns about the Trump presidency (there are many), many ethics watchdogs are concerned about what seem like attempts to monetize the presidency. This isn’t the first time this administration has drawn criticism over ethics violations, particularly related to the Trumps’ vast business holdings. Just this week, first lady Melania Trump claimed in a $150 million defamation lawsuit against the Daily Mail that their stories about her robbed her of the opportunity to fully capitalize on the opportunity to “make millions.” The Department of Defense is said to be looking into renting space in Trump Tower, which would make the president the agency’s landlord. Will Trump continue to use his position, the highest public office in the land, to line his family and associates’ pocketbooks?

We’ll have to wait and see, but I bet the answer is ‘yes.’