Senate Democrats are calling for an ethics investigation of President Donald Trump's daughter and White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, after she promoted a food brand on social media.
Ivanka Trump tweeted a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya beans to buck up a Hispanic-owned business. The company became the target of a consumer boycott after CEO Robert Unanue praised the president at a Hispanic event at the White House two weeks ago.
Ivanka Trump posted to her Twitter account a can of Goya beans with the company slogan, “If it's Goya, it has to be good,” in English and Spanish.
While she states the Twitter account is her personal one, her account bio says she is a "Advisor to POTUS on job creation + economic empowerment, workforce development & entrepreneurship."
Government watchdogs say that as a White House adviser, Ivanka Trump doesn't have the right to violate ethics rules that bar government officials from using their public office to endorse specific products or groups. A White House spokesperson countered, saying she had the right to express her personal support.
Senators Tom Carper, D-Del., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are asking the U.S. Office of Government Ethics to review the case. The senators say the tweet violates the proper use of offical time and authority, which states an employee shall not use their public office for their own private gain or for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.
President Trump himself appeared to back up his daughter last week by posting a photo on his Instagram account showing him in the Oval Office in front of various Goya products arrayed on his desk. As president, Trump is exempt from many of the rules that federal workers must follow.
