Ivanka Trump’s Bizarre Bean Photo Breaks the Law

Ivanka Trump isn’t new to posting weird, unintentionally humorous things to social media, nor is she knew to corruption and flouting the law and any sense of propriety (a family tradition). But yesterday evening she managed to do both with one photo in a truly bizarre tweet that was probably also a violation of federal law!

For background, a few years ago last week the CEO of Goya foods visited the White House and voiced support for Donald Trump, prompting protests and boycotts—Goya’s primary Latinx consumer base has long been the subject of virulent racism and targeted abuse by the Trump administration. Not having learned her lesson from tweeting a Bible verse and getting owned on social media or giving a speech worth of a robot in front of a blue screen, Ivanka decided she needed to tweet support of her father’s favorite … beans?

On top of the fact that absolutely no one believes that Ivanka Trump casually grabbed some Goya beans that were just lying around, the big issue here is that this is a flagrant violation of Federal laws that specifically exist to prevent this kind of thing. Seriously, Ivanka works for the White House, and 5 CFR § 2635.702, which covers the use of public office for private gain, clearly states:

An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.

So, obviously there’s wiggle room here, given the text of the law might mean that Ivanka would have had to bee affiliated with Goya in some way but … nah. She’s not allowed to do this. But alas, it’s not like anyone is going to prosecute her or her father who routinely endorses shows, books, and whatever else he sees on OANN that day. It’s just another flagrant violation of ethics law by a Trump, so just another day in our current dystopia.

I mean …

Remember when laws mattered? That was nice. But at least Twitter had fun with it.

Perhaps one beautiful day Ivanka and her entire extended family will wistfully long for the taste of Goya beans when they’re eating prison food. We can only hope.

(via: Law and Crime Network, image: Ivanka Trump/Twitter)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Jessica Mason

Jessica Mason (she/her) is a writer based in Portland, Oregon with a focus on fandom, queer representation, and amazing women in film and television. She's a trained lawyer and opera singer as well as a mom and author.

twitter