Senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, during her trip to Saudia Arabia with her father U.S. President Donald Trump, received donation pledges of $100 Million by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Fund, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Ivanka's role within the fund has brought up many ethical and legal questions. Can or should a White House adviser who takes part in shaping foreign policy for the U.S. become involved in petitioning donations from those same foreign countries?
Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President, said it was Ivanka Trump who approached him with the idea for the fund.
Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders were also involved in discussions regarding the fund. The Wall Street Journal reported that the fund is meant to give assistance and offer financial investments in helping women around the world gain economic empowerment. The report went on to say that Ivanka does not control the money for the fund.
Trump bashed Clinton for accepting Saudi Arabia's money
Looking back on the 2016 election, Donald Trump bashed Hillary Clinton for donations given to the Clinton Foundation by Saudi Arabia. During his speeches on the campaign trail, Trump insisted Hillary Clinton return all donations given to her for the foundation back to Saudi Arabia.
During one of his debates, Trump said that certain countries, like Saudi Arabia, have no regard for woman’s rights, push 'gays' off buildings, and kill women.
He then posed a question to Hillary Clinton asking why she would take money from 'terrible people' like that? Trump then told her it would be a great gesture if she gave the Saudi's their donations back.
A foundation spokesperson for the Clinton Foundation has verified that while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State she did not accept any donations from Saudia Arabia.
However, Saudia Arabia has donated between $10 to $25 million to the Clinton Foundation.
Trump sees no problem with Ivanka's role in the fund
Conveniently, however, President Trump has made no mention of conflict in his daughter's involvement in the World Bank Fund. And, he has not been willing to address the growing ethical and legal concerns involving Ivanka Trump's current situation.
Simultaneously working as a senior adviser in the White House and spearheading the fund requires her to go through a lengthy approval process to ensure there is no conflict of interest, and most importantly, no special considerations given to those countries who have pledged donations.
