After days of speculation, we have finally learned what Ivanka Trump's new role in the Trump administration will be.
The eldest Trump daughter will serve in the White House as a special assistant to the president, The New York Times reports. The position will be unpaid.
“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,” she said in a statement, according to the Times. "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."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Last week it was reported that Trump would get her own office in the West Wing, even though her role remained unclear. We also learned that she would receive security clearance and an official government communications device.
The news caused quite a controversy, particularly because it seems Trump has no apparent qualifications to assume a role in the White House. It's also unprecedented for the adult child of a modern president to be actively involved with running the government from the White House.
In an email to the Times, a White House spokesperson said that, "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."
Jamie S. Gorelick, a lawyer for President Trump, also weighed in on the First Daughter's new role, telling the Times that Ivanka's decision was born out of "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 said.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT