Weasels Belong to the Same Unethical Club: Trump White House

Unethical to the Umpteenth Degree: Not too bright, but savvy

(Kellyanne Conway)

Plain and Simple: Conway broke government rules and laws on Fox and Friends (of course on Fox – where else):

Highlights from the Washington Post:

President Trump’s official counselor, Kellyanne Conway, was “counseled” after she told TV audiences to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” the White House said Thursday.

Legal experts said Conway had broken a key ethics law banning federal employees from using their public office to endorse products. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that Conway “has been counseled,” but offered no other comment.

Conway, speaking to “Fox & Friends” viewers from the White House briefing room, was responding to boycotts of Ivanka Trump merchandise and Nordstrom’s discontinuation of stocking her clothing and shoe lines, which the retailer said was in response to low sales and which the president assailed as unfair.

Conway’s precise commercial Ad for Ivanka Trump products: “I’m going to give it a free commercial here. Go buy it today.”

Here is the Fox clip of Conway’s “free commercial” – in her own words, not mine: More from the article (key points):

More from the article (key points):

1. Conway had broken a key ethics law banning federal employees from using their public office to endorse products.

2.  Several attorneys, including former heads of federal agencies, said Conway’s endorsement directly conflicted with OGE rules designed to separate government policy from private business dealings, including these remarks from Campaign Legal Center general counsel Lawrence Noble, who is also former counsel for the Federal Election Commission: “I don’t see what their defense is. She did this on television. She was very clear it was advertising. Hopefully at the very least they will acknowledge this is wrong.” 

3. This from Don W. Fox, former general counsel and former acting director of OGE, said: “Conway’s encouragement to buy Ivanka’s stuff would seem to be a clear violation of rules prohibiting misuse of public office for anyone’s private gain. This is jaw-dropping to me. This rule has been promulgated by the federal Office of Government Ethics as part of the Standards of Conduct for all executive branch employees and it applies to all members of the armed forces as well.”

4.  Attorneys all across the board have said a typical executive-branch employee who violated the rule could face significant disciplinary action, including a multi-day suspension and loss of pay. However, enforcement measures are largely left to the head of the federal agency — and in Conway’s case that is the White House.

(I note: Doubtful that Trump will take any action … that part of the swamp and changes to the way “Washington works will be fixed” probably do not apply here, I suspect).

5.  Noteworthy: Federal law states the director of OGE can advise the White House and Conway of the violation, conduct its own investigation and recommend that they consider disciplinary action But, even that happening which is also doubtful,  OGE’s recommendations are non-binding, and the ultimate decision resides with the White House.

Impact: Conway’s endorsement comes as the Trump administration faces growing scrutiny over whether it is taking fears of conflicts of interest seriously.

This is not the first example and surely it will not be the last … why not: Trump will push the limits for what he wants to do regardless of the blowback… if they get caught red-handed, then they backpedal and tap dance without any apology or fix; just more excuses and blame someone else. If they are not called out on things like this story, then “they just keep on truckin.”

Hang on tight. This is the group now in charge of the whole nine yards as they say. Seems that FOX controls the whole damn Hen House.