The Office of Government Ethics reached out to the White House within hours of President Trump and counselor Kellyanne Conway’s separate statements about Nordstrom’s rescinding its business relationship with Ivanka Trump, according to a report published late Thursday about emails between the OGE and White House.
On Feb. 2, the high-end department store retailer Nordstrom announced it would no longer carry Ivanka Trump’s fashion line in its stores, citing decreased sales. The move also came as a result of liberal boycotts of Trump-affiliated brands.
A Freedom of Information Act request by NBC News and the James Madison Project revealed OGE lawyer David Apol contacted the White House’s ethics lawyer at 3:56 p.m. on Feb. 8, about five hours after Trump tweeted that the high-end department store had treated his eldest daughter “so unfairly.”
Apol had asked Stefan Passantino to discuss “the President’s tweet concerning the decision of Nordstrom to stop carrying his daughter’s line of products.” Passantino called Apol within five minutes.
OGE instructed Passantino to tell Trump to follow basic standards of conduct and not use his leadership position for personal gain.
The following morning, both men spoke again after Conway recommended people buy Ivanka Trump’s merchandise in response to Nordstrom’s actions.
“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff is what I would tell you … I hate shopping, I’m going to go get some myself today,” Conway told Fox News on the morning of Feb. 9.
“This is just a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
Apol sent an email (not to the White House) that Passantino had called him following that interview to “reassure” the ethics office it would “be taking appropriate action to address her conduct.”
Conway’s statement was in violation of federal ethics standards for encouraging consumers to financially support a private sector business. The White House announced Conway had been “counseled” over the incident.
“Kellyanne has been counseled and that’s all we’re going to go on,” press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.
In a letter to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), the White House concluded Conway promoted Ivanka Trump’s fashion line “inadvertently” and “without nefarious motive.”
On Thursday, OGE said it disagreed with the White House’s opinion that Conway had not violated any rules. The office wrote a letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee saying the White House has ignored its recommendation to bring disciplinary action against Conway.
