Silke Jasso
A new letter from the White House to the Office of Government Ethics appears to suggest that Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway will not receive any disciplinary action for promoting Ivanka Trump’s products during a live interview.
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“Upon completion of our inquiry, we concluded that Ms. Conway acted inadvertently and is highly unlikely to do so again,” the letter, signed by Stefan C. Passantino, a White House deputy counsel for compliance and ethics, reads. “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.”
Conway was being interviewed on Fox News Channel last month when she was asked about recent decisions by several retailers to stop carrying the first daughter’s fashion line, to which she replied, “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff.”
“It’s a wonderful line,” she continued. “I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to just, I’m going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
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The incident drew major criticism, with many believing Conway violated federal rules prohibiting endorsements by government employees. The Office of Government Ethics seemed to initially agree, stating in a previous letter that there was “strong reason to believe” Conway violated ethics standards and should be disciplined.
Both the White House and the Office of Government Ethics have yet to comment on the new letter, but it looks like Conway may be off the hook.
