Ivanka Trump
Ivanka TrumpReuters

Ivanka Trump, the elder daughter of President Donald Trump, is becoming an official government employee, joining her husband in serving as an unpaid adviser to her father in the White House, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Ivanka already has an office in the West Wing, as reported last week. She was to have served as an informal adviser to her father, but that plan prompted criticism from ethics experts, who said it would allow her to avoid some rules and disclosures.

“I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee n the White House office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees,” Ivanka Trump said in a statement on Wednesday quoted by The New York Times.

“Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role,” she added.

Trump’s title will be special assistant to the president. Her husband, Jared Kushner, has the title of senior adviser.

Kushner deals with, among other things, with the Israeli-Palestinian Authority conflict and other Middle East issues.

“We are pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step in her unprecedented role as first daughter and in support of the president,” a spokeswoman for the president said in an email on Wednesday.

“Ivanka’s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously,” the spokeswoman added.