A day after retailer Nordstrom announced they would drop Ivanka Trump's clothing line one of President Donald Trump's top advisers went on Fox News and plugged her brand.
"Go buy Ivanka's stuff, I would tell you," said Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway during an appearance on Fox News with the White House's emblem behind her in the shot. "I hate shopping. I'm going to get some on myself today," she added.
Israel: 12th Dead Sea Scroll cave of Qumran discovered
Conway said Ivanka Trump is a "successful businesswoman" and people should give the company their business. Her comments come a day after Trump attacked the brand on Twitter after it ditched the Ivanka Trump clothing line
"My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!" Trump wrote.
Couple arrested after autistic girl found locked in cage covered in excrement
The high-end Seattle-based retailer's stock was shaken after Trump's tweet and sank 1% momentarily before trending upward the rest of the day.
The tweet drew swift criticism from ethics experts. Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert, said the Nordstrom tweet is problematic because other retailers may think twice now about dropping the Ivanka Trump brand for fear of getting criticized publicly by the president. She said it was especially disturbing that Trump retweeted his message on the official White House account.
Man trapped underwater by digger saved by using yoga position
"The implicit threat was that he will use whatever authority he has to retaliate against Nordstrom, or anyone who crosses his interest," said Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St Louis.
Trump has tweeted about companies such as Boeing, Carrier and General Motors. But ethics experts say this time is different because it involves a business run by his daughter — and that raises conflict-of-interest concerns. First Lady Melania Trump has yet to step away from her companies that manage her royalties from her namesake products, business documents show.
Get your daily digest with the best of the day's news, opinion, entertainment and sport
You may be interested in:
- Protesters throw themselves in front of van deporting Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos in US
- Stars reluctant to attend White House Correspondents' Dinner as Trump continues war with media
- Apple CEO Tim Cook on Trump's immigration order: If we don't oppose it, 'we become a part of it'
- Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway plugs Ivanka Trump's brand on Fox News
1.7k