Ivanka Trump’s new job
IVANKA TRUMP is not the first presidential child to be a close assistant to her father. Anna Roosevelt moved into the White House in 1944 and accompanied Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta conference of world leaders in February 1945. George H.W. Bush listened to the advice of his sons George and Jeb. Yet Ms Trump is the first child whose spouse also plays an important advisory role. She and her husband, Jared Kushner, both have security clearance, access to top-level presidential meetings and offices in the West Wing of the White House, home to the offices of the president. Their roles have raised eyebrows ever since Donald Trump was inaugurated as America’s 45th president.
After a particularly rough week for his new administration, Mr Trump tried to calm mounting concerns over potential conflicts of interest among members of his family. On March 29th the White House announced that Ms Trump would become an unpaid federal employee, with the title “assistant to the president”, subject to the same rules as all other federal employees. Her appointment comes after Norman Eisen and Richard Painter, two ethics lawyers, expressed concern in a letter to Donald McGahn, counsel of the White House, “about...Continue reading