Ivanka Trump: Lawbreaker Or Law-Abiding Citizen?

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of violating ethics laws and the Hatch Act during her time as a senior advisor in her father's administration. Critics have warned that her business ventures may be in violation of federal laws prohibiting government officials from profiting off the American public. Ivanka Trump's role in her father's administration has raised concerns about conflicts of interest and her use of a personal email address to discuss government matters.

Ivanka Trump's use of a personal email address to discuss government matters

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of using a personal email address to discuss government matters. This was revealed in 2017 by the watchdog group American Oversight, who filed a public records lawsuit for Ivanka's communications.

The Washington Post reported that Ivanka regularly used a private email account, shared with her husband Jared Kushner, to send "hundreds" of emails to other officials. These emails were mainly logistical and scheduling, but could still be in violation of the Presidential Records Act. Ivanka's attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that Ivanka did not mean to potentially break federal records rules and that no emails were ever deleted.

Her father, Donald Trump, defended his daughter, saying that her actions were not comparable to those of Hillary Clinton, who had also been accused of using a private email account for government business. He stated that Ivanka's emails "weren't deleted like Hillary Clinton's" and that "she wasn't doing anything to hide her emails." Despite this defence, Congressional Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee planned to investigate Ivanka's private email use.

Ivanka Trump's involvement in her father's civil fraud trial

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of violating ethics laws and has been involved in her father's civil fraud trial.

Ivanka Trump served as an executive vice president at the family's Trump Organization and later as a senior adviser in the Trump White House. In these roles, she has been accused of using her position to advance her business interests and those of her family.

In the civil fraud trial, Ivanka Trump was called to testify about her involvement in securing loans and negotiating deals for the Trump Organization. She claimed that she had little knowledge of the financial statements that were central to the case and that her role was primarily focused on deal-making and securing financing for various properties.

Ivanka Trump's involvement in her father's business dealings and the civil fraud trial highlights the complex nature of their relationship and the potential overlap between her business and political activities. While she is no longer a defendant in the case, her testimony provided insights into the Trump Organization's operations and the family's financial dealings.

Ivanka Trump's violation of the Hatch Act

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of violating the Hatch Act on several occasions. The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, limits certain political activities of federal employees to ensure "federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation". It prohibits employees from coercing or pressuring other employees to take part in political activity and ensures that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.

Ivanka Trump, who served as Assistant to the President and Advisor to the President on job creation, economic empowerment, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, was accused by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) of violating the Hatch Act by engaging in both official government business and political activity using her Twitter account, @IvankaTrump. In the tweets, she promoted her father's re-election campaign, detailing her movement on the campaign trail and speaking positively of his term as president.

In addition to these accusations, Ivanka Trump has faced scrutiny for possible violations of the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, which forbids government employees from profiting from other governments. When travelling the world to represent the US and her father, she also bolstered her brand's image on a global stage.

Furthermore, Ivanka Trump's business ventures have also raised concerns about conflicts of interest. Critics have warned that her business ventures, such as her retail outlet at Trump Tower in New York City, could violate federal laws prohibiting government officials from enriching themselves at the expense of the American public.

Ivanka Trump's business interests while serving in the White House

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former US President Donald Trump, has been accused of violating ethics laws and creating conflicts of interest by retaining ownership of her businesses while serving as a senior advisor in her father's administration.

Before joining the White House, Ivanka was an executive vice president of the family-owned Trump Organization and had her own fashion and lifestyle brand, which included clothing, footwear, handbags, jewellery, and fragrances. She also had business partnerships with companies such as Dynamic Diamond Corp. and Chengdu Kameido Shoes.

After becoming an official employee in her father's administration in March 2017, Ivanka continued to retain ownership of her businesses, raising ethical concerns. Critics warned that the first family's business ventures could violate federal laws prohibiting government officials from profiting off the American public. There were also concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as Ivanka's business interests overlapped with her role in the White House, which focused on economic initiatives and entrepreneurship.

In addition, Ivanka was accused of using her position to advance her business interests. For example, she opened a retail outlet in Trump Tower, which critics claimed was a conflict of interest as it allowed her to profit from die-hard Trump supporters visiting the building. Ivanka's business ties to foreign countries, particularly China, also raised concerns. She received several Chinese trademarks during her father's presidency, including three provisional trademarks granted on the same day she dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.

Ivanka Trump's role in the Trump Organisation

Ivanka Trump is the daughter of former US President Donald Trump and former model Ivana. She is a businesswoman and entrepreneur who served as an adviser to her father during his presidency from 2017 to 2021.

Prior to her father's election, Ivanka was an executive vice president in the Trump Organisation, overseeing development and acquisitions and leading some of the company's largest and most complex transactions. She was responsible for the domestic and global expansion of the company's real estate interests. She also led the acquisition and redevelopment of the Doral Hotel in Miami, a 700-room resort, and oversaw the conversion of the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C., into a luxury hotel.

Ivanka also founded several fashion and lifestyle brands, including Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, Ivanka Trump Footwear, and an eponymous lifestyle brand. She was a boardroom judge on her father's television show, "The Apprentice," and has authored two bestselling books, "The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life" and "Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success."

In November 2016, the Trump Organisation released a statement that Ivanka, along with her brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric, would take over the organisation while their father served as President. However, in January 2017, Ivanka resigned from her position at the Trump Organisation and removed images of herself and her father from their websites, following official advice on federal ethics rules.

Despite an anti-nepotism law, Ivanka was named Advisor to the President in March 2017, focusing on the education and economic empowerment of women and their families, as well as job creation and economic growth. She also became the head of the newly established Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship. Ivanka's role in the administration raised concerns about the violation of federal nepotism rules and the risk of disclosing classified information.

In 2022, Ivanka testified before a congressional committee investigating the Capitol attack and in a separate investigation into the Trump Organisation's business practices led by the New York Attorney General.

Frequently asked questions