Ivanka Trump is securing her own office on the White House West Wing. She is to receive security clearance and government-issued communication devices. According to her attorney she will serve as President Trump’s “eyes and ears.”
Trump’s appointment of Ivanka in that position is true to form. The Trump administration has planted advisers in all cabinet agencies to be his “eyes and ears.” They are to check on the loyalty of various agencies and to ensure they comply with his agenda.
It’s similar to the way Richard Nixon exploited power by spying on those he perceived as threats to his power.
“Ivanka's role in Trump's administration has raised eyebrows since her presence at Trump's first post-election meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and more recently when she was seated right next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel; both of whom, by the way, saw their way clear to criticize Trump's foreign policy at a recent technology fair in Hanover [Germany].”
Let me get this straight: Ivanka Trump -- who has myriad business interests that overlap with her father’s – is now moving into the West Wing as a top White House advisor, getting a security clearance and government-issued communications devices. But she’s not being sworn in, will hold no official position, and so will not be a government employee who must by law adhere to official ethics rules.
Doesn’t the Trump administration have enough ethics problems? Aren’t there already enough conflicts of interest to sink a ship?
Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, is now an official senior adviser in the White House – but at least his status is an official government employee, he was sworn in, and he has to abide by ethics laws. Why can’t Ivanka do the same?
Ivanka still owns her eponymous fashion and jewelry brand, and is also publishing a book, “Women Who Work,” due out in May. But she says she’ll distance herself from the day-to-day operations of the Ivanka Trump brand and convey her interests to a trust that will be controlled by her brother-in-law, Josh Kushner, and her sister-in-law, Nicole Meyer.
Oh, sure.
It’s as if a coup has occurred, and the dictator’s family has now moved into the palace -- and are about to the loot the country. The utter disdain of the Trumps for ethics is jaw-dropping.
Ivanka Trump set to get West Wing office as role expands
The first daughter will not, however, become a government employee, raising ethics questions.
By Annie Karni
