House Democrats’ Investigation Sets Sights On Ivanka — Carefully
Ivanka Trump in the White House in August 2017. Image by Getty
By Ari Feldman March 14, 2019
House Democrats did not include Ivanka Trump in their list of 81 people and institutions from whom they requested documents earlier this month as part of the investigation into Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia. But 52 of the 81 requests included requests for documents about Ivanka, suggesting that the House investigation is looking squarely at her as well, the New York Times reported.
The White House has suggested that the document requests are part of an attempt to build a case to impeach Trump. But the documents related to Ivanka have to do with any financial benefits Ivanka may have gained from business with overseas companies or individuals while serving as special assistant to Donald Trump. That would potentially put her in violation of the emoluments clause, which prohibits government officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments.
“She’d be in violation of the Constitution if she was getting any business deals from foreign governments,” Richard W. Painter, a chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told the Times.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who is leading the House investigation of Trump, said that the 81 requests were just the first ones, and that others could “quite conceivably” follow.
Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at feldman@forward.com or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman
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