White House Aide Kellyanne Conway went on Fox News last Thursday. Parroting the president, she attacked retailer Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka Trump's clothing line. That was tacky and unethical, but if that's what the president wants, it is not illegal.
But then she went over the line, and did something that was illegal. Appearing in her official capacity as a White House aide (and with the White House logo in the background), she urged the public to go out and buy clothing from the line of Ivanka Trump. And that was against federal law. Federal law says:
§ 2635.702 Use of public office for private gain. An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, including nonprofit organizations of which the employee is an officer or member, and persons with whom the employee has or seeks employment or business relations. The specific prohibitions set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section apply this general standard, but are not intended to be exclusive or to limit the application of this section.
Conway should be charged with violating this law. She (and other White House employees) need to understand that they cannot and must not use their official positions for the financial benefit of anyone (even the president and his family).
