Watchdog group wants Rosenstein to investigate Ivanka Trump’s alleged conflicts of interest
A government watchdog group filed a complaint with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Friday, calling on the Justice Department to investigate White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump’s alleged conflicts of interest.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) argues that the president’s elder daughter has violated federal conflict-of-interest laws by participating in a tax program despite her husband’s financial ties.
{mosads}The Opportunity Zones program, created by the GOP’s 2017 tax law that President Trump signed, is designed to help spur investments in distressed communities.
CREW alleges that Ivanka Trump was involved in the program while her husband, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, held financial interests in Cadre — a “real estate crowdfunding platform” that offers investment opportunities through the program.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Federal conflict-of-interest laws prohibit government employees from participating “personally and substantially” in matters that would affect financial interest of themselves or a spouse.
Trump participated in Opportunity Zones–related events last year, in addition to working behind the scenes with officials, CREW argued in its complaint.
“Under the conflict of interest law, Mr. Kushner’s financial interests are imputed to Ms. Trump, and she was required to recuse from particular matters related to the program,” the complaint states. “By failing to do so, Ms. Trump may have violated the conflict of interest law.”
Trump acknowledged her husband’s financial interest in Cadre by disclosing them on her signed financial disclosure report, CREW noted.
She entered the government with financial interests in Cadre worth between $5,000,000 and $25,000,000. That number has since increased in her latest report to between $25,000,001 and $50,000,000.
Trump acknowledged in that report the need to recuse herself “from particular matters in the broker-dealer, real estate, and online financial services sectors to the extent they would have a direct and predictable effect on Cadre.”
“Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have continued to conduct themselves in ways that create a real possibility that they are capitalizing on their roles as government officials to enrich themselves,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement.
“Government employees should never work on matters affecting their own finances, but Ivanka Trump appears to have done just that. Her actions are just the latest example of this administration’s blatant and repeated disregard for ethics obligations, and must be thoroughly investigated.”