First daughter and White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump received backlash for supposedly promoting Goya Foods on social media. Now, two senators are hoping to investigate whether or not the first daughter really committed ethics violations.
Politico reports Senators Tom Carper and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics to request for possible disciplinary action against Ms. Trump. The two senators even noted that Ivanka posted the photo just days after the Goya CEO announced his support and praise for her father, Donald Trump, who also posted a photo with the brand’s products.
“The timing of her remarks creates the appearance, at least, that praise for the Trump Administration officials may elicit later endorsements from these same officials,” the senators wrote. They inquired about whether or not Ivanka committed an ethics violation and whether or not she may face disciplinary action. The two senators have given the OGE a deadline of August 10 to respond to the inquiries.
Government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also filed a similar complaint to the OGE regarding Ivanka’s promotional tweet. CREW has also filed a similar complaint back in 2017 to the OGE regarding the ethics violation that Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway made when she endorsed her support for Ivanka’s fashion line.
The White House has since defended Ivanka’s social media update but did not address whether or not Ivanka committed an ethics violation. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany stated that Ivanka’s tweet was simply the first daughter voicing her support and that this was another politically motivated attack against the Trump administration.
According to federal ethics laws, people who work in government are not allowed to use their positions to endorse products or brands for personal gain or with people whom the government employee is related or affiliated to.
Ivanka Trump has since defended her tweet, saying that she had the right to publicly express her support for the brand. Ivanka had also insisted that she was being treated unfairly following the backlash she received for promoting the brand.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the reporters on the way to Atlanta that it is unlikely that Ivanka will face disciplinary action. White House Spokesperson Carolina Hurley attributed the backlash to “cancel culture.”