A White House Endorsement of Ivanka Trump's Products

2017-02-09

A White House Endorsement of Ivanka Trump's Products

contradicted

Promised: 2017-01-11At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.Open cited record · 2 sources
The record: 2017-02-09White House counselor Kellyanne Conway urged viewers to buy Ivanka Trump products during an interview from the White House briefing room.Open cited record · 2 sources2017-02-13OGE wrote that there was strong reason to believe Conway violated the executive-branch standards and recommended disciplinary action.Open cited record · 1 source
Who gained: Ivanka Trump brand
Who paid: United States public
Audit finding: contradicted
The White House product endorsement conflicted with the announced separation between public office and family business promotion; OGE recommended discipline, while the White House said Conway was counseled.
Causal strength: documented mechanism

Evidence chronology

promise2017-01-11documented
At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.
- Time: Read a Transcript of Donald Trump's Press Conference on Conflicts of Interest2017-01-11 · Sheri Dillon remarks: no new foreign deals, limited information rights, compliance counsel, and donation of foreign-government hotel profits
- U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Oversight Committee Requests Documents on Trump Organization's Treatment of Foreign Government Payments2017-04-21 · Bipartisan committee letter describing the January pledge and requesting implementation records
Open underlying ledger entry
action2017-02-09documented
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway urged viewers to buy Ivanka Trump products during an interview from the White House briefing room.
- TIME: Federal Ethics Office Says It's Getting Extraordinary Number of Calls After Trump Nordstrom Controversy2017-02-09 · Conway remarks, ethics response and White House counseling
- U.S. Office of Government Ethics: Documents related to statement made by Kellyanne Conway2017-02-13 · OGE letter and 5 C.F.R. 2635.702 analysis
Open underlying ledger entry
outcome2017-02-13documented
OGE wrote that there was strong reason to believe Conway violated the executive-branch standards and recommended disciplinary action.
- U.S. Office of Government Ethics: Documents related to statement made by Kellyanne Conway2017-02-13 · OGE letter and 5 C.F.R. 2635.702 analysis
Open underlying ledger entry
administration response2017-02-09documented
The White House said Conway had been counseled but did not publicly detail the counseling in the cited record.
- TIME: Federal Ethics Office Says It's Getting Extraordinary Number of Calls After Trump Nordstrom Controversy2017-02-09 · Conway remarks, ethics response and White House counseling
- U.S. Office of Government Ethics: Documents related to statement made by Kellyanne Conway2017-02-13 · OGE letter and 5 C.F.R. 2635.702 analysis
Open underlying ledger entry

Responses, legal status, contrary evidence, and limitations

administration response
The White House said Conway had been counseled but did not publicly detail the counseling in the cited record.