Ivanka Trump’s role, according to her attorney Jamie Gorelick, will be to serve as the president’s “eyes and ears” while providing broad-ranging advice, not just limited to women’s empowerment issues. Last week, for instance, Ivanka Trump raised eyebrows when she was seated next to Angela Merkel for the German chancellor’s first official visit to Trump’s White House.
Why does Donald Trump need eyes and ears? Is he deaf and blind?
Gorelick says it's not possible for Ivanka to eliminate all conflicts, since she can't close her business.
But when it comes to divesting from her business, however, Gorelick admitted there is no way to make it a conflict-free zone.
“The one thing I would like to be clear on: we don’t believe it eliminates conflicts in every way,” Gorelick said. “She has the conflicts that derive from the ownership of this brand. We’re trying to minimize those to the extent possible."
So she's turned control over to Jared's brother and sister.
The trust, Gorelick said, will be controlled by her brother-in-law, Josh Kushner, and her sister-in-law, Nicole Meyer, who will be prohibited from entering the brand into any agreements with foreign countries or agencies. ...[Ivanka]will retain veto power to kill any deals that would be “unacceptable from an ethics perspective.”
It sounds like Gorelick will become Ivanka's eyes and ears on conflicts.
Gorelick, a former deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration, will also serve as the outside ethics adviser to the trustees. ...Under the trust, her attorneys said, Ivanka Trump will receive only the information she needs for disclosure requirements and to facilitate compliance with conflict of interest and impartiality rules.
In the meantime, we are all to remain deaf, blind and dumb to the Trump family's continued business deals overseas:
Trump’s hotels and golf courses, for instance, continue to engage in business with foreign and national groups that have interests in front of the White House.
Here's a recap of their most excellent adventures in Dubai, where Donald Jr. and Eric were a few weeks ago for the grand opening of the golf course bearing the Trump name. (Ivanka wrote this article in 2015 about their business ventures in Dubai).
Here's Eric Trump in Dubai last month, talking about billionaire partner Hussain Sajwani, chairman of Dumac, who attended the opening of Trump's hotel in D.C. and Trump's New Year's eve party in Palm Beach:
President Trump's sons also praised their close relationship with Hussain Sajwani, chairman of Damac Properties, in their remarks. Eric Trump said Sajwani was "a great friend" with a "truly amazing family".
"We are going to have a lot of fun years together and this is just the beginning of those days," Eric Trump said. (my emphasis.)
So much for the Trump Clan's claim of no new foreign deals post-election.
Here's a crib sheet from the Atlantic on the Trump clan's conflicts of interests.
Here's a VICE report on the squalid conditions for workers at their Dubai golf resort.
This isn't the only planned Trump project in Dubai. A second golf course designed by Tiger Woods bearing the Trump name is set for 2018. Loose lips Eric also said last month while in Dubai:
“My father and Tiger have been friends for a long time,” Eric Trump said in an exclusive interview with Golf.com’s Pete Madden. “They’ve been very, very close. When you combine Trump and Tiger, it’s a match made in heaven. It’s a very amazing combination."
Tiger, meanwhile, has tried to distance himself from the Trump involvement in the project, saying his deal is with Dumac, not Trump.
Spokesman Glenn Greenspan bristled at talk of an alliance. “Tiger is not in partnership with Mr. Trump or his organization and stating otherwise is absolutely wrong,” Greenspan said. “Tiger Woods Design’s contract and obligation is to the developer, Damac Properties. Our association ends there. I can’t put it any clearer that Tiger Woods Design does not have an agreement with Mr. Trump.”
Ivanka's intentions were clear when her "editorial team" announced three weeks after the election that she would use her role "as a private citizen" to take an increased role in public affairs, particularly as to women.
Donald Trump may be deaf and blind and need Ivanka to be his eyes and ears, the rest of us don't.