Ivanka Trump Is Getting An Office In The White House, But She's Not A Government Employee

The first daughter will be working from an office in the West Wing and will advise her father on a range of issues.

Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images

Ivanka Trump has a new office: the White House.

The president's daughter will be working as an adviser from the West Wing, gaining access to a government-issued phone, security clearance, and classified information, her attorney told the Associated Press.

The move further solidifies Ivanka Trump's prominent, though unofficial, place in the new administration. She has attended multiple high-level meetings since her father became president, including a recent roundtable with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images

Merkel and Trump talk before a meeting with US President Donald Trump and business leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House March 17, 2017.

Although Ivanka Trump is not a government employee, she will kind of act like one. She will follow ethics rules and advise her father on a range of issues and serve as his "eyes and ears," Jamie Gorelick, an attorney and ethics adviser for Ivanka Trump, told Politico.

Anti-nepotism laws prevent the president's family members from being appointed to government positions. However, they can still advise him as private citizens, which is what Ivanka Trump will be doing, her lawyer said.

The White House did not return a BuzzFeed News request for comment.

Trump at a meeting with the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“While there is no modern precedent for an adult child of the president, I will voluntarily follow all of the ethics rules placed on government employees,” Trump told the New York Times in a statement.

Her proximity to and involvement in White House affairs has raised questions about her business ventures and potential conflicts of interest. To stymie those concerns, Trump has removed herself from her clothing and lifestyle company's daily operations and transferred its assets to a trust overseen by her relatives of husband.

While Ivanka Trump has been the face of her brand, her new deal bars the company from using her image to promote clothing, shoes, and other items. Her Instagram account now features photos of her family and White House happenings.

Ivanka Trump

Trump, whose husband Jared Kushner is a top adviser to the president, moved her family to Washington after the inauguration and hinted at plans to work on issues like maternity leave and child care.

"I will continue to offer my father my candid advice and counsel, as I have for my entire life," she told the AP.

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Other perspectives on this story

• 1 People just don't understand why this is necessary.
• 2 Some think it's fine if Ivanka advises her father, but they object to her receiving a security clearance and classified information.
• 3 Some people respect her and think Trump can pick her like other presidents have picked their advisers.
• 4 This all seems a little too dynastic for a lot of people.
• 5 People wonder what the reaction would have been like if Chelsea Clinton had played a role in a Hillary Clinton White House.
• 6 A lot of people think that even if the position is no more formal than adviser it is still an act of nepotism.

• 1
  1/6

  “What the fuck??? Why?!?! #IsIt2020Yet #lordhelpus”

  @LynzyAlyse
• 2
  2/6

  “She can be an adviser and clearly he respects her and thinks of her the smartest of his children that's y she's a better fit for his side. That doesn't mean that she should get security clearances. He isn't making very smart decisions when it comes to running the country and its ppl. All of its ppls. Doesn't matter the color or the religious preference. He has created a divide in the country.”

  Tee
• 3
  3/6

  “to be honest I trust her to read the friggin shit on her desk. Stop trump from making big mistakes”

  @bballpants
• 4
  4/6

  “Americas version of the Romanoffs?? Ruling family? Is this how our country works? Get them out!!”

  @winnieriddle1
• 5
  5/6

  “JUST IMAGINE the apoplectic rage from the right had Hillary won and this was about Chelsea instead of Ivanka. JUST. IMAGINE.”

  Heather
• 6
  6/6

  “Absolutely ridiculous! This is the definition of nepotism regardless of not being a " government employees " She should Not be attending government meetings or information.”

  Linda

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