Fact Check

Reince Priebus Told White House Staff to Address Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner as 'Secretary'?

An alleged White House staff e-mail was posted to an anonymous Twitter account.

Published May 5, 2017

 (lev radin / Shutterstock.com)
Image Via lev radin / Shutterstock.com
Claim:
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus sent an e-mail to White House staff directing them to address Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner as "secretary."

On 20 April 2017, an anonymous Twitter user that employs the screen name @RogueWHSnrAdvisor (Rogue White House Senior Advisor) posted an image of a purported e-mailed message to White House staff allegedly written by Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, directing employees to henceforth refer to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the daughter and son-in-law respectively of President Donald Trump, as "secretary":


We asked the White House Press Office to verify if the e-mail was legitimate but got no response. When we asked the person running the "rogue" White House staff Twitter account where they obtained the memo, the response was simply, "it was sent to all WH staff." When asked if they are a member of the White House staff, they responded only, "yes."

Although we are unable to independently verify whether the e-mail is authentic, the Trump administration has taken the unusual step of choosing members of the president's immediate family to work with him closely in the White House. Ivanka Trump's title is "assistant to the president" while her husband's role is "senior adviser."

Sources

Haberman, Maggie, and Abrams, Rachel.  "Ivanka Trump, Shifting Plans, Will Become a Federal Employee."   The New York Times. 29 March 2017.

Baker, Peter, et al. "Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump: Pillars of Family-Driven West Wing."   The New York Times. 15 April 2017.

Zeitz, Joseph. "The Bitter Feud Behind the Law That Could Keep Jared Kushner Out of the White House."   Politico Magazine. 17 November 2016.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006.