“I’m not going to comment on that; I actually have nothing more to say about it,” Special Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway told Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum this evening when asked about having advised Fox News Channel viewers from the White House, to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.”
MacCallum asked her about the letter from Republican Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz, and his Democratic counterpart Elijah Cummings, demanding a White House explanation of what this potential violation of executive branch ethics regs, Conway responded, “We’re aware of that letter and we’re reviewing it internally.
“I’m just really happy that I spent a lot of time with the president of the United States this afternoon and that he supports me 100%,” she said.
When MacCallum asked her if President Donald Trump gave her any indication he might suspend her for the remarks she made on Fox & Friends, Conway smiled and reiterated, “We spoke about a range of matters, and he supports me 100%. In fact, it was a very heartening moment. All I can say to America’s women is, at some point in our life you ought to have a boss who that treated me the way that the president of the United States treated me today.”
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Conway “has been counseled” after pitching Ivanka Trump’s clothing line from the White House. The plug came when she was asked to weigh in on Trump’s tweet of previous day bashing Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka’s line. Nordstrom said in a statement that the line was being dropped due to lousy sales, nothing more.
Speaking from the White House Briefing Room, Conway insisted the department store chain was “using [Ivanka] to get to” the president.
“I think people can see through that. Go buy Ivanka’s stuff – that’s what I’d say,” she said, adding, “I fully — I’m going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
In the same room from which Conway had delivered her QVC-esque clothing-line plug, Spicer said, a few hours later, “Kellyanne has been counseled, and that’s all we’re going to go with. She has been counseled on that subject – and that’s it.”
By the time Spicer’s briefing got underway, Conway’s pitch had triggered complaints it violated executive branch ethics regs.
Chaffetz told NBC News today Conway’s hawking of Ivanka’s products crossed a line. “It is wholly unacceptable — no if, ands or buts about it,” he said. “It should have never happened and they better learn this lesson very quick.”
Meanwhile, over the last two days Nordstrom’s stock is up 6.5%, far ahead of the overall market which is up 0.7%.
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