Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, had no "nefarious motive" when she promoted Ivanka Trump's clothing line during a February interview, according to a letter the White House sent to the Office of Government Ethics.
"Upon completion of our inquiry, we concluded that Ms. Conway acted inadvertently and is highly unlikely to do so again," the letter said, according to CNN Money.
The letter said that a White House lawyer reviewed federal rules that barred government employees from endorsing products. There was no mention of any disciplinary action against Conway, CNN Money reported.
"Go buy Ivanka's stuff. It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I'm going to just, I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online," Conway said on Feb. 9 during an appearance on Fox News. The previous day, Trump had complained on Twitter about the clothing retailer Nordstrom dropping his daughter's clothing line.
"It is noted that Ms. Conway made the statement in a light, offhand manner while attempting to stand up for a person she believed had been unfairly treated and did so without nefarious motive or intent to benefit personally," the letter said.
On Feb. 13, the Office of Government Ethics wrote to Stefan C. Passantino, White House deputy counsel for compliance and ethics, saying the office had "strong reason" to look into whether Conway had broken ethical standards with her statements.
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings said the White House's letter to the ethics office was a "bad sign."
"Other federal employees would likely be suspended for engaging in this conduct, and White House officials should not be held to a different standard," Cummings said, according to CNN Money.
The ethics office could still recommend a punishment for Conway, but the White House would not be required to carry it out.
Conway has drawn more criticism since the clothing line comments. On Tuesday, she said she meant no disrespect when a photo of her with her feet on an Oval Office couch had gone viral.
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