Kellyanne Conway Promotes Ivanka Trump Brand, May Face 'Disciplinary Action'

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, along with Rep. Elijah Cummings, recommended that Kellyanne Conway face "disciplinary action" after she told viewers of "Fox and Friends" to buy products from Ivanka Trump's brand. Many argued that this endorsement was a violation of federal ethics regulations.

Earlier in the day, Chaffetz said of Conway's comments endorsing the brand, "That was wrong, wrong, wrong. It is wholly unacceptable no if, ands or buts about it.”

Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wrote a joint letter along with Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat, to the Office of Government Ethics to look into the Conway's comments and "recommend disciplinary action against her if warranted."

Conway, President Trump's senior counselor, told viewers Thursday morning to go out and buy products from Ivanka Trump's line. “I’m going to give it a free commercial here,” Conway told the hosts of "Fox and Friends." “Go buy it today.”

The comments come after Nordstrom, along with many other companies, announced they would drop Ivanka Trump's brand. President Trump lashed out against the company on Twitter: "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!"

Nordstrom said the decision was purely financial and not intended to send a political message. However, business and politics are blurring under the Trump administration, as many anti-Trump activists advocate a boycott against Trump family products.

But Conway's comments on "Fox and Friends" appeared to mix politics and business in a more straightforward, and ethically dubious, way.

Federal law states that any "employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.”

The president is exempted from this law, but his staff are not.

“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 from Chaffetz and Cummings added.

Which is why the representatives asked the OGE to review the comments and recommend any fitting disciplinary action.

Appearing on a news show to discuss policy issues, in front of logo of the White House, to discuss the president's daughter's brand, appeared to violate this rule, many noted. Critics of the president have long argued that President Trump's business interests and ties posed conflicts of interest.

Chaffetz and Cummings note that the following consequence are typical for Conway's apparent offense:

• The Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service recommends a minimum 5-day suspension for first-time offenders of this regulation.
• Employees at Customs and Border Protection are subject to a 14-day suspension for a first offense, and removal from their position for second offenses.
• Employees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and at Transportation Security Administration are subject to a “14-day suspension to removal” for a first offense.

"This is significant, because it's the first time that Chaffetz or GOP has criticized/scrutinized Team Trump on ethics," NBC Editor Mark Murray noted.

“This appears to be a textbook violation of government ethics laws and regulations enacted to prevent the abuse of an employee’s government position,” Rep. Elijah Cumming, a Maryland Democrat, wrote earlier in Thursday to Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “Since the Committee has direct jurisdiction over the ethics laws applicable to White House employees, I request that the Committee make an official referral of this matter to the Office of Government Ethics and request that it report back to the Committee as soon as possible with its findings.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-profit aiming to foster accountability in government, filed a complaint over the incident

“The law is clear that public officials should not use their offices for their own private gain or the private gain of others,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “It’s hard to find a clearer case of that kind of misuse of office than we saw today.”

Patch reached out to the White House for comment, but received no response.

"Kellyanne has been counseled," White House Press Secretary Spicer said at Thursday's press briefing. "And that's it."

In an interview on Fox Thursday evening, Conway was asked what that counseling entailed. "I'm not going to comment on that. I actually have nothing more to say on that."

Asked about the letter, she said, "Well, we are aware of that letter and we are reviewing that internally. I am just really happy that I spent an awful lot of time with the President of the United States this afternoon and that he supports me 100 percent."

Meanwhile, the website for the Office of Governmental Ethics appeared to be down Thursday afternoon:

On Twitter, the OGE confirmed it was getting deluged.

"OGE’s website, phone system and email system are receiving an extraordinary volume of contacts from citizens about recent events," it said. "OGE works to prevent ethics violations. OGE does not have investigative or enforcement authority. Congress, GAO [Government Accountability Office], the FBI, Inspectors General, and the Office of Special Counsel have the authority to conduct investigations."

Watch the clip below (relevant comments begin around 7:25):

Photo credit: YouTube Screenshot/Fox