United States: why Ivanka Trump will have an office in the White House and access to confidential information despite not having a position in her father's government
Ivanka Trump moved to Washington with her husband and children after her father's victory in the November 8 presidential election in the United States. From now on, she will be a little closer to the power wielded by her parent.
As her lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, announced to the US press, the eldest daughter of the US president will have an office in the west wing of the White House, will have communications devices owned by the government and authorized to access classified information.
However, you will not have a formal position or receive a salary.
Katty Kay, a BBC journalist in Washington, notes that it is highly unusual for a president's daughter to have this kind of status in the White House.
Federal laws against nepotism prevent the president's relatives from being appointed to government positions.
That was one of the pitfalls faced by the appointment of Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, as an advisor to President Trump, which was bypassed thanks to a permitted exception after the Justice Department's legal counsel office indicated that the president it has a "special hiring authority".
"Although there is no contemporary precedent for an adult son of the President, I will voluntarily follow all ethical rules applicable to government employees. I will continue to offer my sincere recommendations and advice to my father, as I have all my life," said Ivanka Trump in a statement posted to the Politico website.
Is it legal?
Jamie Gorelick told the AP agency that they consider that the fact that Ivanka voluntarily complies with the rules that would apply to her in case of being a government employee, despite not being one, is a conservative way of facing this matter and is an option that counts. with the approval of the aforementioned legal advisory office.
The lawyer stressed that this instance also made it clear that Trump could consult her family members in their capacity as private citizens and argued that this is what Ivanka will do.
Andrew Herman, a lawyer who has advised congressmen on ethical issues, considered that the correct way to carry out this process is to turn the president's daughter into a "special government employee," although he admitted to the AP agency that this option it would imply numerous formal and transparency requirements.
For his part, Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who headed the White House ethics office during George W. Bush's tenure, considered that in practice Ivanka is working as a government employee.
"That means that she, like her husband, has to follow the rules. It's not a big deal if she stays out of the issues that affect her financial interests," Painter told the AP.
He also indicated that, from his point of view, he should avoid meddling in anything that has to do with international trade with the countries where his products are manufactured, as well as inhibiting himself on real estate issues, given the business in that field. of his husband's family.
Other analysts, however, are more concerned.
Julian Zelizer, an expert in political history at Princeton University, told the public broadcaster NPR that Ivanka's role in the White House raises questions about the application of the rules on nepotism, on conflicts of interest and other rules that apply to government employees.
"We have already seen that he has been given access to high-level meetings with world leaders, from the business sector; and now you have the subject of classified intelligence material. There is a question: why would someone in the family who does not have a position formally should they have access to this type of information? "Zelizer wondered.
From business to government
Since the presidential election, Ivanka has resigned from her leadership position in the Trump Organization and agreed to receive a fixed payment, instead of a percentage of the profits as before.
As for her fashion company, she put the day-to-day management in the hands of the president of the same and placed her interests under a trust administered by her brothers-in-law Josh Kushner and Nicole Meyer, according to The New York. Times.
She also prohibited the company from doing operations with foreign governments and using images of her taken after her father's inauguration on January 20 in its brand advertisements.
Since then, Ivanka Trump has participated with her father in meetings with international leaders such as the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau; and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.
These meetings have caused controversy because, despite not having a position of responsibility that justifies them, Ivanka has had open access to these leaders.
