Putting aside Donald Trump’s ridiculously authoritarian decision to put his freaking kids in top White House positions, the fact remains that they are federal employees. When Ivanka Trump was made “Special Counsel” and husband Jared Kushner was put in charge of everything, they filed official paperwork (including Form 278) which legally binds them to ethics rules. Upon taking the role, Ivanka even stated that she heard the “concerns” but was “subject to the same rules as other federal employees.”
Now that Daddy Trump has shut down the government—”proudly,” he said—in a vain attempt to fund his 2,000 mile beaded curtain, millions of people are suffering. Some more than others. If you are a federal employee lucky enough not to be furloughed, the United States Office of Personnel Management has made it pretty clear that vacations are a no-go during a furlough.
But Trump’s feckless imbeciles are either too dense or just too out of touch to care. To use John Kelly’s words, they are just ”playing government,” so they figure the rules don’t apply.
The Daily Mail published several photos of Ivanka and Jared living it up at Trump’s Florida resort, complete with ”screw you, I’m on vacation” attire.
Trigger warning: Jared is in flipflops.
It’s true that Jared and Ivanka are “unpaid” for their roles—unless you count the $82 million they made in outside income since taking their positions. (Funny how that happened.) But they are still bound by the same ethics rules as everyone else. If you are going to profit so handsomely for being complicit and doing absolutely nothing, the very least you could do is follow the same damn rules that actual dedicated civil servants are following.
I’m willing to bet they’ll still be there when Trump reneges on his promise to stay in Washington and goes to his New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago. It would be the most tone-deaf, tasteless thing for Trump to do, which is the only guarantee you have with this family.
Editor’s note: This diary’s title has been changed for clarification.