Ivanka Trump to become official White House employee
March 30, 2017
Ivanka Trump will become a federal employee after drawing criticism over an original plan to be an unofficial advisor. As an official federal employee, the first daughter will have to comply with ethics laws.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Thew/Epa
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First daughter Ivanka Trump will become a federal employee as assistant to the president, the White House announced on Wednesday.
"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," a White House statement said.
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The first daughter announced last week she would get an office in the West Wing of the White House and a security clearance. That unofficial role drew criticism over potential conflicts of interest and ethics violations.
On Wednesday, she said in a statement she was committed to transparency and ethics standards.
"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," the 35-year-old said.
Her husband, Jared Kushner, is senior aide to the president.
As an official federal employee, the first daughter will have to comply with ethics laws.
The unusual life of Ivanka Trump
From rich kid to runway model to first daughter and now offical White House employee - Ivanka Trump's life has been all but conventional. Here are some pictures of her unorthodox trajectory.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Child of divorce
12-year-old Ivanka Trump and her father, business magnate Donald Trump, peek over the crowd at the U.S. Open in New York, 1994. Ivanka Marie Trump was born in 1981 as the second child of Czech-American model Ivana Trump and Donald. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.
Image: picture alliance/ASSOCIATED PRESS/R. Frehm
Patchwork family
Ivanka Trump, holding her younger half-sister Tiffany, takes a picture with Donald Trump and his second wife Marla on her father's 50th birthday. Ivanka is one of four siblings.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Savignano
Teenage model
16-year-old Ivanka Trump closes Thierry Mugler's haute couture show in Paris, 1997. Trump started modeling at the early age of 15 for Mugler and the likes of Versace and Paco Rabanne.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking a role model
Teenage Ivanka Trump looks at her father, the multi-billionaire Donald Trump, at a polo club in Bridgehampton, New York, 1997.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ipol Grant
Multi-million business woman
Ivanka Trump speaks during the Ivanka Trump Collection runway launch in New York in 2012. Trump made a name for herself with her own multi-million-dollar businesses. She has sold everything from diaper bags and baby shoes to clothing and jewelry.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/D. Van Tine
Partners in crime
Ivanka und Donald Trump laugh at the Trump Tower Mall opening in Istanbul, 2012. Ivanka joined the family business in 2005 and, together with her two brothers Donald Jr. and Eric, has been acting as executive vice-president of the Trump Organization. She announced she would be taking a formal leave of absence from both the Trump Organization after her father took office.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/T. Bozoglu
Family life
Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner step off of Air Force One with their children as they arrive in West Palm Beach, 2017. Trump and Kushner got married in 2009 and have three children together.
Image: picture alliance/AP Images/W. Lee
Leading role in Trump campaign
Ivanka Trump addresses supporters of her father's campaign in South Carolina, 2016. She had a central role in Donald Trump's campaign and has been regarded as a mobilizer for female voters in support of Trump.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A. Sanz
Way into the White House
Ivanka Trump und German Chancellor Angela Merkel whisper during a roundtable discussion in the Cabinet Room of the White House in March 2017. Last week the president's daughter came under fire for announcing she would become an advisor, without a specific title, but with an office in the White House.
Following criticism from ethics experts of her informal role in the White House, Ivanka Trump announced on Wednesday, she will become an official government employee. Her work as a presidential family member taking office in the White House, alongside her husband, continues to raise eyebrows.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
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Ms. Trump took a prominent role within President Donald Trump's campaign and has continued to do so during the first months of the presidency.
She was present when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Washington.
Her presence during state business has drawn criticism and questions over her unofficial role.
