Senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump poses with a can of Goya beans. Critics charged she violated ethics rules. (Image: Ivanka Trump/Twitter)
Jul 15, 2020
Critics are charging that senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump likely violated ethics rules with a Tuesday night tweet promoting Goya beans, the latest example of administration officials using their positions to boost private companies friendly to the president.
"White House advisor Ivanka Trump promoting Goya seems like it could raise potential ethics issues," tweeted Open Secrets researcher Anna Massoglia, "since executive branch employees other than the president are prohibited from using public office 'for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.'"
\u201cSenior advisor to the President endorsing a product - using the company\u2019s own advertising line. Ethics rules do not allow it - and pretty much unimaginable in previous administrations.\u201d— Chris Jansing (@Chris Jansing) 1594783051
Trump posted to Twitter Tuesday night a photo of herself displaying a can of the beans with the company's tagline, "If it's Goya, it has to be good," in both English and Spanish. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back with a tweet declaring "Si es Trump, tiene que ser corrupto," or, "If it's Trump, it has to be corrupt."
Trump's Goya tweet was the latest salvo in a controversy around the company that began on July 9 when CEO Robert Unanue said the U.S. was "truly blessed" to have Donald Trump as president, leading critics of the White House to call for a boycott of the brand. Despite those calls, no major movement against the company has materialized.
As a number of critics noted, Ivanka Trump is not the first administration official to run into ethics rules for social media posts promoting private companies.
According toHuffPost:
The Trump administration has run afoul of the code before, including in 2017 when counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway urged Americans to buy Ivanka Trump-branded products. Conway did not face any known disciplinary action, which drew a rebuke from the Office of Government Ethics.
Walter Shaub, then director of the office, wrote: "Disciplinary action serves to deter future misconduct. Not taking disciplinary action against a senior official under such circumstances risks undermining the ethics program."
NBC News reporter David Gura pointed out that Trump's tweet also served to show just how out of touch the White House is with regular Americans.
"FWIW, this outfit costs about PS5,000), or $6,000, or 3,174 cans of Goya black beans,"" tweeted Gura.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Critics are charging that senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump likely violated ethics rules with a Tuesday night tweet promoting Goya beans, the latest example of administration officials using their positions to boost private companies friendly to the president.
"White House advisor Ivanka Trump promoting Goya seems like it could raise potential ethics issues," tweeted Open Secrets researcher Anna Massoglia, "since executive branch employees other than the president are prohibited from using public office 'for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.'"
\u201cSenior advisor to the President endorsing a product - using the company\u2019s own advertising line. Ethics rules do not allow it - and pretty much unimaginable in previous administrations.\u201d— Chris Jansing (@Chris Jansing) 1594783051
Trump posted to Twitter Tuesday night a photo of herself displaying a can of the beans with the company's tagline, "If it's Goya, it has to be good," in both English and Spanish. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back with a tweet declaring "Si es Trump, tiene que ser corrupto," or, "If it's Trump, it has to be corrupt."
Trump's Goya tweet was the latest salvo in a controversy around the company that began on July 9 when CEO Robert Unanue said the U.S. was "truly blessed" to have Donald Trump as president, leading critics of the White House to call for a boycott of the brand. Despite those calls, no major movement against the company has materialized.
As a number of critics noted, Ivanka Trump is not the first administration official to run into ethics rules for social media posts promoting private companies.
According toHuffPost:
The Trump administration has run afoul of the code before, including in 2017 when counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway urged Americans to buy Ivanka Trump-branded products. Conway did not face any known disciplinary action, which drew a rebuke from the Office of Government Ethics.
Walter Shaub, then director of the office, wrote: "Disciplinary action serves to deter future misconduct. Not taking disciplinary action against a senior official under such circumstances risks undermining the ethics program."
NBC News reporter David Gura pointed out that Trump's tweet also served to show just how out of touch the White House is with regular Americans.
"FWIW, this outfit costs about PS5,000), or $6,000, or 3,174 cans of Goya black beans,"" tweeted Gura.
Critics are charging that senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump likely violated ethics rules with a Tuesday night tweet promoting Goya beans, the latest example of administration officials using their positions to boost private companies friendly to the president.
"White House advisor Ivanka Trump promoting Goya seems like it could raise potential ethics issues," tweeted Open Secrets researcher Anna Massoglia, "since executive branch employees other than the president are prohibited from using public office 'for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.'"
\u201cSenior advisor to the President endorsing a product - using the company\u2019s own advertising line. Ethics rules do not allow it - and pretty much unimaginable in previous administrations.\u201d— Chris Jansing (@Chris Jansing) 1594783051
Trump posted to Twitter Tuesday night a photo of herself displaying a can of the beans with the company's tagline, "If it's Goya, it has to be good," in both English and Spanish. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back with a tweet declaring "Si es Trump, tiene que ser corrupto," or, "If it's Trump, it has to be corrupt."
Trump's Goya tweet was the latest salvo in a controversy around the company that began on July 9 when CEO Robert Unanue said the U.S. was "truly blessed" to have Donald Trump as president, leading critics of the White House to call for a boycott of the brand. Despite those calls, no major movement against the company has materialized.
As a number of critics noted, Ivanka Trump is not the first administration official to run into ethics rules for social media posts promoting private companies.
According toHuffPost:
The Trump administration has run afoul of the code before, including in 2017 when counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway urged Americans to buy Ivanka Trump-branded products. Conway did not face any known disciplinary action, which drew a rebuke from the Office of Government Ethics.
Walter Shaub, then director of the office, wrote: "Disciplinary action serves to deter future misconduct. Not taking disciplinary action against a senior official under such circumstances risks undermining the ethics program."
NBC News reporter David Gura pointed out that Trump's tweet also served to show just how out of touch the White House is with regular Americans.
"FWIW, this outfit costs about PS5,000), or $6,000, or 3,174 cans of Goya black beans,"" tweeted Gura.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.