

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.


Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump, is to receive a West Wing office next to a National Security Council advisor. She'll receive a security clearance, allowing her to access classified information. And she'll be given government-issued communication devices.
However, Ivanka won't be on the White House payroll, will not be sworn into office, and will not be subject public scrutiny. In short, she will have no official position. The president's daughter promised in a statement to "voluntarily" follow the White House ethics code, according to Politico.
"People close to Ivanka Trump said that she sees nothing unusual about the arrangement," reports Politico, "it's simply how she has worked with her father for years, as a senior official at the Trump Organization and as Donald Trump's partner on 'The Apprentice.'"
Ivanka also raised eyebrows last week for taking part in an official meeting between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
While her involvement in the White House deepens, Ivanka continues to run her multi-million dollar fashion brands--which have close ties to Trump's international empire. (In fact, her business was sued for profiting unfairly from her family's link to the presidency.) Trump has also not divested himself of his businesses.
The brazen flouting of ethics concerns has provoked critics to compare the Trump administration to a kleptocracy:
As former labor secretary Robert Reich wrote on Facebook:
Let me get this straight: Ivanka Trump--who has myriad business interests that overlap with her father's--is now moving into the West Wing as a top White House advisor, getting a security clearance and government-issued communications devices. But she's not being sworn in, will hold no official position, and so will not be a government employee who must by law adhere to official ethics rules.
Doesn't the Trump administration have enough ethics problems? Aren't there already enough conflicts of interest to sink a ship?
"It's as if a coup has occurred, and the dictator's family has now moved into the palace--and are about to the loot the country," Reich added. "The utter disdain of the Trumps for ethics is jaw-dropping."
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump, is to receive a West Wing office next to a National Security Council advisor. She'll receive a security clearance, allowing her to access classified information. And she'll be given government-issued communication devices.
However, Ivanka won't be on the White House payroll, will not be sworn into office, and will not be subject public scrutiny. In short, she will have no official position. The president's daughter promised in a statement to "voluntarily" follow the White House ethics code, according to Politico.
"People close to Ivanka Trump said that she sees nothing unusual about the arrangement," reports Politico, "it's simply how she has worked with her father for years, as a senior official at the Trump Organization and as Donald Trump's partner on 'The Apprentice.'"
Ivanka also raised eyebrows last week for taking part in an official meeting between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
While her involvement in the White House deepens, Ivanka continues to run her multi-million dollar fashion brands--which have close ties to Trump's international empire. (In fact, her business was sued for profiting unfairly from her family's link to the presidency.) Trump has also not divested himself of his businesses.
The brazen flouting of ethics concerns has provoked critics to compare the Trump administration to a kleptocracy:
As former labor secretary Robert Reich wrote on Facebook:
Let me get this straight: Ivanka Trump--who has myriad business interests that overlap with her father's--is now moving into the West Wing as a top White House advisor, getting a security clearance and government-issued communications devices. But she's not being sworn in, will hold no official position, and so will not be a government employee who must by law adhere to official ethics rules.
Doesn't the Trump administration have enough ethics problems? Aren't there already enough conflicts of interest to sink a ship?
"It's as if a coup has occurred, and the dictator's family has now moved into the palace--and are about to the loot the country," Reich added. "The utter disdain of the Trumps for ethics is jaw-dropping."
Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump, is to receive a West Wing office next to a National Security Council advisor. She'll receive a security clearance, allowing her to access classified information. And she'll be given government-issued communication devices.
However, Ivanka won't be on the White House payroll, will not be sworn into office, and will not be subject public scrutiny. In short, she will have no official position. The president's daughter promised in a statement to "voluntarily" follow the White House ethics code, according to Politico.
"People close to Ivanka Trump said that she sees nothing unusual about the arrangement," reports Politico, "it's simply how she has worked with her father for years, as a senior official at the Trump Organization and as Donald Trump's partner on 'The Apprentice.'"
Ivanka also raised eyebrows last week for taking part in an official meeting between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
While her involvement in the White House deepens, Ivanka continues to run her multi-million dollar fashion brands--which have close ties to Trump's international empire. (In fact, her business was sued for profiting unfairly from her family's link to the presidency.) Trump has also not divested himself of his businesses.
The brazen flouting of ethics concerns has provoked critics to compare the Trump administration to a kleptocracy:
As former labor secretary Robert Reich wrote on Facebook:
Let me get this straight: Ivanka Trump--who has myriad business interests that overlap with her father's--is now moving into the West Wing as a top White House advisor, getting a security clearance and government-issued communications devices. But she's not being sworn in, will hold no official position, and so will not be a government employee who must by law adhere to official ethics rules.
Doesn't the Trump administration have enough ethics problems? Aren't there already enough conflicts of interest to sink a ship?
"It's as if a coup has occurred, and the dictator's family has now moved into the palace--and are about to the loot the country," Reich added. "The utter disdain of the Trumps for ethics is jaw-dropping."