Complaint filed over Goya endorsement

WASHINGTON — A group has filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics over Ivanka Trump’s social media endorsement of Goya Foods Inc., saying the photo violated government rules.

President Donald Trump’s daughter, a senior White House adviser, posted a photo of herself holding a can of the company’s black beans after some liberal groups called for a boycott of the company’s products because Goya Chief Executive Officer Robert Unanue said last week that the country was “truly blessed” to have Trump as its leader.

Ivanka Trump’s post was a violation of federal ethics regulations prohibiting employees from endorsing “any product, service or enterprise,” the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington argued in its complaint, which was released on Friday.

The group previously raised concern over White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, who endorsed Ivanka Trump’s clothing line during remarks in the White House briefing room.

“This is not just about beans; it’s another example of a disturbing pattern of this administration acting to benefit the businesses of the president’s supporters,” Noah Bookbinder, executive director of the ethics group, said.

The White House has said it’s not worried about ethics concerns raised by the incident.

“This tweet was made in her personal capacity voicing her personal support,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “This complaint is another politically-motivated, baseless attack from an organization with a vendetta against all of the administration.”