Ivanka Trump’s role in her father’s administration has finally been confirmed by the White House.
The New York Times reports that Ivanka will serve as an assistant to President Trump in an unpaid capacity, following widespread concern from ethics experts about the nature of her influence in the White House.
‘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,’ she said in a statement.
‘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,’ she added.
This confirmation comes days after it was revealed that the President’s eldest daughter would be given an office in the West Wing and would receive security clearance, despite her political role remaining unclear. This news proved controversial, with many citing nepotism as a major problem in Trump’s administration: Ivanka’s husband Jared Kusher, currently serves as a senior advisor to the President, a role which is also unpaid.
A White House statement said that ‘Ivanka’s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously.’
According to Trump’s attorney Jame S. Gorelick, ‘Ivanka’s decision reflects both her commitment to compliance with federal ethics standards and her openness to opposing points of view. She will file the financial disclosure forms required of federal employees and be bound by the same ethics rules that she had planned to comply with voluntarily.’
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