Ivanka Trump walks a constant line between senior White House adviser and being First Daughter of the President of the United States. It’s not a line that should reasonably exist, but here we are: Trump‘s president, and all normalcy is thrown out the fucking window.
As we all know by now, at least 20 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment or assault. That number includes Ivanka’s mother Ivana, whose alleged violent assault and rape by her husband was described in a 1993 book by Harry Hurt III. (Shortly before publication, she issued a statement saying that while she “felt violated” and had previously referred to the incident as “a rape”, she didn’t want her words to be interpreted in “a literal or criminal sense.”)
Yet Ivanka – while in her official capacity as senior White House advisor – refused to answer questions on the President’s accusers.
When asked by NBC News if she believes his accusers, she instead replied:
“I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter, if she believes the accusers of her father, when he’s affirmatively stated that there’s no truth to it. I don’t think that’s a question you would ask many other daughters. I believe my father. I know my father. So, I think I have that right, as a daughter, to believe my father.”
The interview aired shortly after Ivanka’s return from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she represented the United States delegation during the Closing Ceremony.
Although nepotism laws exist in the United States, they unfortunately are interpreted to not include the White House. As CNN points out, Trump couldn’t appoint his favourite child to be the Treasury Secretary, for example, but senior White House advisor with an office and ear of the President? Sure, why not.
https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/968142252378763264
