Kellyanne Conway 'Acted Inadvertently' Promoting Ivanka Trump, White House Says

Kellyanne Conway, a senior counselor to President Trump, "acted inadvertently" when she promoted Ivanka Trump's brand during an interview with Fox and Friends, according to a letter from White House counsel published by CNNMoney.

The incident occurred on Feb. 9, when Conway appeared on the show "Fox & Friends." During an interview, she defended the president's daughter's clothing brand, which had recently been dropped by Nordstrom.

"I’m going to give it a free commercial here,” Conway said, referring to the clothing line. “Go buy it today.”

"I recommend that the White House investigate Ms. Conway's actions and consider taking disciplinary action against her," said Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, in a letter to White House counsel. He also noted that, despite Press Secretary Sean Spicer's assurance that Conway had been "counseled" on the matter, the OGE received no notice of any disciplinary actions she has faced.

The new letter from White House counsel, which was confirmed to be genuine, dated Feb. 28, does not refer to any disciplinary action, but simply excuses Conway's actions.

"It is noted that Ms. Conway made the statement in question in a light, off-hand manner while attempting to stand up for a person she believed had been unfairly treated and did so without nefarious motive or intent to benefit personally," it reads. The letter is signed by Stefan Passantino, deputy counsel to the president.

While the interview was generally friendly, the characterization of Conway's actions as "off-hand" and "inadvertent" are a stretch. She repeated her pitch for viewers to buy Ivanka Trump's brand multiple times and even explicitly described her promotion as a "commercial."

Government ethics rules explicitly prohibit government officials from using their offices to endorse 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.”

Patch reached out to OGE for comment but did not receive a response.

Shaub noted previously that in his office's regulations, which detail misuse of public office, the rules themselves actually list a hypothetical example of a presidential appointee promoting a product while appearing on TV.

"Ms. Conway's actions track that example almost exactly," he said.

It seems likely that Conway did not intend to break any ethics rules — but she almost certainly meant to promote a brand.

Photo credit: Susan Walsh/Associated Press