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Ivanka Trump Becomes A Government Employee

By Ruchi Gupta
Published on: 21:05 PST, Mar 29, 2017

Ivanka Trump takes a controversial U-turn to become a government employee.

The businesswoman has officially become an official government employee and has joined her husband Jared Kushner as a special advisor to her father at the White House.

[Image by Win McNamee/Getty Images]

The president’s daughter has opted to become an unpaid employee, as her position has been deemed quite controversial. Mr. Trump has been known to trust both his daughter and her husband. This was apparent when they were still on the show, The Apprentice. Ivanka played a role in the show as a judge and advisor.

Ivanka shall be an assistant to the president while her husband shall be a senior advisor. The titles are more formalized as they are involved with the president quite often and this works for them.

Are The Trumps Playing With Nepotism?

A lot of people questioned whether it was appropriate for the president’s son in law Mr. Kushner is allowed to work with him in the first place. Many questioned if this would be a violation of the nepotism law that was passed in 1967. However, the Justice Department wrote a memo that allowed Mr. Kushner to work in the White House, as it did not apply there.

Jared had been involved in his father in law’s presidential campaign for several months and was one of his most trusted advisors. So his new position was not much of a shocker to observers of the family.

[Image by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Images]

The only issue was the legality of his position in the White House. Critics have continued to question if Ivanka’s new role is legal or not, as the law itself says that no public official may hire or promote a relative. There is a loophole, however, which seems to be the route in which the two have taken whereby an employee is not entitled to pay from the federal government. Therefore the two have taken advantage of this and have made the decision not to earn anything from serving. The deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice office of Legal Counsel, Daniel Koffsky, wrote that the president enjoyed an unusual degree of freedom when it came to choosing his personal staff. The congress found this suitable to the demands of his office.

Daniel said that the law only applied to an executive agency and the White House is not and executive agency within the law.

One of the laws allowed the president to appoint, and fix the pay of employees in the White House Office without regard to any other provision of law. Daniel emphasized that, “Employees in the White House office without regard to any other provision of law regulating the employment or compensation of persons in the government service.”

Ethics laws shall legally bind Ivanka, as she has to file the Form 278. Her attorney, James S. Gorelick stated that her decision showed her commitment to compliance with the federal ethics standards.

Ivanka’s New Course

Ivanka, who has been said to humanize the president is loved across the borders said, that she was working closely and in good faith with the White House Counsel and her own personal counsel to address the nature of her role. The socialite had to reassure critics that she was working ethically and not breaking any laws.

[Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

The White House said that they were pleased with her for taking the step in support of the president.

She also added that, “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.”

[Featured Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]

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