http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-14/ethics-agency-says-strong-reason-to-believe-conway-broke-rules
Ethics Agency Says `Reason to Believe' Conway Broke Rules (1)
Published 1:02 pm, Tuesday, February 14, 2017
(FILES) This January 27, 2017 file photo shows Kellyanne Conway senior aide to US president Donald Trump speaking at the March for Life rally in Washington,DC. The top adviser to President Donald Trump found herself embroiled in a new "alternative facts" controversy Friday over her unfounded claim that two radicalized Iraqis had masterminded a US massacre that never took place. Kellyanne Conway, who managed Trump's presidential campaign and is now a White House counselor, made the remark February 2, 2017 in an interview with MSNBC while defending Trump's ban on refugees as similar to steps taken by former president Barack Obama. / AFP PHOTO / Tasos KatopodisTASOS KATOPODIS/AFP/Getty Images
less(FILES) This January 27, 2017 file photo shows Kellyanne Conway senior aide to US president Donald Trump speaking at the March for Life rally in Washington,DC. The top adviser to President Donald Trump found
... moreKellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon after a worship service on Inauguration Day at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon after a worship service on Inauguration Day at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
(Bloomberg) -- The director of the federal ethics agency said there was “strong reason to believe” that White House aide Kellyanne Conway violated regulations when she urged people on national television to buy Ivanka Trump’s products.
Conway’s remarks in a Feb. 9 appearance on Fox News “would establish a clear violation of the prohibition against misuse of position,” Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub, Jr., wrote to a deputy White House counsel in a letter dated Feb. 13. “Therefore I recommend that the White House investigate Ms. Conway’s actions and consider taking disciplinary action against her.” Shaub shared that letter with members of Congress and released it to the public on Tuesday.
Conway’s unusual product endorsement last week drew quick bipartisan condemnation and criticism from legal specialists, who said it appeared to violate a federal rule barring officials from using their positions to promote private business interests. Shortly after her comments, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that she had been “counseled,” but he declined to elaborate.
A top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his colleague, Kellyanne Conway, after she was widely criticized for her public endorsement of the fashion line of Trump's daughter, Ivanka. Speaking on the ABC's "This Week" program, White House aide Stephen Miller said Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway was making a "light-hearted, flippant" comment when she urged Americans to buy Ivanka Trump's products.
Media: MediaOS VideoLater the same day, Conway praised President Donald Trump for supporting her, saying that all women should have bosses who treat them “the way the president of the United States treated me today.”
Agency’s Letter
In his letter, Shaub said OGE had contacted the White House on Feb. 9 but had “not yet received notification of any disciplinary or other corrective action against Ms. Conway.” He asked the White House to respond by Feb. 28. The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the same day that Conway made her statements, Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked OGE in a letter to recommend “disciplinary action, if warranted.” The top Democrat on the committee, Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, also signed the letter.
In response, Shaub, who had previously criticized President Trump’s decision not to divest from his businesses, laid out his agency’s powers with regard to the alleged violation: If an agency, including the White House, declines to take up a recommendation from OGE, federal ethics officials can launch their own investigation and recommend specific punishment, even though it wouldn’t be binding.
On Feb. 9, following decisions by some retailers including Nordstrom Inc. to stop selling Ivanka Trump’s products, Conway said on Fox News she would do a “free commercial” for the merchandise.
“Go buy it today everybody; you can find it online,” she said.
(Updates with lawmakers’ request in fifth paragraph.)
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joshua Gallu at jgallu@bloomberg.net, John Voskuhl
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.
Latest from the SFGATE homepage:
Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.
