Following her father’s election victory, Ivanka Trump spent a few months insisting that she would spend her D.C. years enjoying some family time and not working. Ivanka still quickly became a White House fixture, yet the eldest Trump daughter claimed that she would only help push woman-friendly agendas (family leave, childcare tax credits, etc.) as part of Trump’s administration with no formal role. Well, Ivanka has changed her mind, and she’ll now be an official federal employee, albeit an unpaid one.
Perhaps Ivanka was inspired by husband Jared Kushner’s new position as leader of a “SWAT team” to transform federal bureaucracy into a lean, mean machine (as well as a senior advisor)? Whatever the case, Ivanka’s been sending signals for a few weeks. She recently scored her own White House office and security clearance, so her new status shouldn’t be a huge surprise (although it kind of is). Via the New York Times:
Ms. Trump already has an office in the West Wing, and she said last week that she would serve as an informal adviser to her father. But that plan prompted criticism from ethics experts, who said it would allow her to avoid some rules and disclosures.
“I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees,” Ms. Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. “Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role.”
Ivanka’s title will be “special assistant” to the president, which may or may not clear things up for confused White House staffers. One of them recently told The Hill, “No one really knows what she does exactly.” At this point, perhaps everyone should simply rest easy that Ivanka hasn’t been pulled into the Russia-Trump ties investigation like her husband, who will testify next week in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
(Via New York Times)