In our current state of political decorum, many in government and the media are afraid to call things for what they are despite a complete breakdown in similar decorum from the White House. In this unstable state of limbo, the President’s lies are never called “lies” by the media and his continued ethical violations are often swept under the rug.
Fortunately, other nations and their governments are not held in such a state of suspension, as evidenced by the remarks made by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel regarding Ivanka Trump’s active role in her father’s administration.
Calling a spade a space, Gabriel noted that he and many others were bewildered to see Ivanka arrive in Germany for a women’s entrepreneurship summit, acting in an official state capacity despite being the daughter of the president.
“For me there are things that remain strange, like for example the visit of his daughter to Germany which was treated almost like a world event, while the mix of politics with family and business reminds us instead of nepotism and would be unimaginable here.”
The role of Ivanka Trump in the White House has evolved rather quickly in the Trump administration, and each evolution brings the corruption closer to the surface. Currently, Ivanka is a federal employee who is receiving no compensation for her work and serves as the Assistant to the President.
Ivanka’s lack of an official government salary is the only way that the Administration can defend her role, but she still receives significant benefits from her position, the least of which is a government-issued phone, a West Wing office, and security clearances.
She also is present in every state visit and important meeting with people far more important than she. Even in her Berlin visit, Ivanka sat two chairs down from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. When Merkel visited the White House last month, she sat beside the President’s daughter as well.
With so many scandals and so much corruption, something as major as outright nepotism has become a barely-issue, but we must make it clear: the German Foreign Minister’s comments regarding Ivanka are completely true and our continued allowance of such overt corruption is a sign to the rest of the world.
