U.S. President Donald Trump's elder daughter Ivanka Trump will become an official government employee, joining her husband Jared Kushner in serving as an unpaid advisor to her father in the White House.
According to the New York Times, Ivanka already has an office in the West Wing and she said last week that she would serve as an informal advisor to her father. But it plan prompted criticism from ethics experts, who said it would allow her to avoid some rules and disclosures.
"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 said in a statement on Wednesday.
"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," she added.
She will hold the title of assistant to the President. Her husband, Jared Kushner, has the title of senior advisor.
"We are pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step in her unprecedented role as first daughter and in support of the president. 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," a spokeswoman for the president said in an email.
Ivanka's lawyer, Jamie S. Gorelick, said that her decision stemmed from "her commitment to compliance with federal ethics standards and her openness to opposing points of view."
"She will file the financial disclosure forms required of federal employees and be bound by the same ethics rules that she had planned to comply with voluntarily," Gorelick added.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
