Senate Homeland Security chairman requests briefing on Ivanka Trump emails

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday requesting a briefing on Ivanka Trump’s usage of her personal email to discuss government business.

Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, asked White House counsel Emmet Flood to brief him on the potential federal record-keeping requirements breach.

In the letter, Johnson mentioned emailing the White House in February of 2017 about “the importance of using official government email accounts for official business,” and a September 2017 letter he sent to McGahn after reports that six White House members may have used personal accounts.

Johnson requested that a timeline of Trump’s employment history with the White House and details on the quantity and content of emails sent from her personal account be presented to his committee.

The letter set a Dec. 7 deadline for the briefing.

{mosads}The Washington Post first reported early Tuesday that Trump, a senior adviser to the president, sent hundreds of emails about White House business and her official schedule to administration aides, Cabinet officials and her personal assistants during 2017.

President Trump dismissed the story as “fake news,” despite making a similar potential violation by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton a centerpiece of his 2016 presidential campaign.

A spokesperson for Abbe Lowell, Ivanka Trump’s attorney, told the Post that Ivanka Trump “sometimes used her personal account, almost always for logistics and scheduling concerning her family” while she was entering government and stopped once she was informed of rules surrounding email use.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, requested information pertaining to the matter from the White House earlier Tuesday. 

The Hill has reached out to Ivanka Trump’s lawyer for comment.