Ivanka Trump will take on an official role at the White House as assistant to the president, the first daughter confirmed Wednesday, saying she will become an unpaid government employee.
It was reported last week that the president’s eldest daughter had taken on a role at the White House, which included a security clearance and an office in the West Wing, but several ethics experts complained about its informal nature because she would not actually be a federal employee.
“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,” Ivanka Trump said in a statement obtained by the New York Times. “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.”
A spokeswoman for the president said the Trump administration is “pleased” with Ivanka Trump’s decision to serve her father. “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,” the spokeswoman said.
Ivanka Trump’s lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, said his client will file the appropriate financial disclosure forms required of federal employees and be bound by the same ethics rules, according to the Times.
Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, already works in the White House as a senior adviser.
