Ivanka Trump sent hundreds of government emails from her personal account, report says

Ivanka Trump sent hundreds of emails relating to government business from her personal email account last year, it has emerged.

Donald Trump’s daughter, a key presidential adviser, is thought to have violated public records rules by writing a vast number of messages to cabinet members and aides using the address.

The Washington Post reported Ms Trump’s use of a private email has horrified some in the White House, who will be all too aware of the president’s jibes at Hillary Clinton for employing a similar practice in her time as secretary of state.

During the 2016 presidential election race, Mr Trump labelled his Democratic rival “Crooked Hillary”, claiming she belonged in jail.

Supporters at the president’s rallies still often engage in chants of “lock her up” in reference to the investigation, which was closed without any criminal charges being brought against Ms Clinton.

The scandal did however dog her throughout the campaign, with then-FBI director James Comey choosing to re-open a probe into the email server weeks before polling day.

Ms Clinton would in the aftermath of the vote attribute the affair in part for her shock defeat to Mr Trump.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about Ms Trump’s email use, but a spokesperson for her lawyer Abbe Lowell did not dispute the reports.

“While transitioning into government ... Ms Trump sometimes used her private account, almost always for logistics and scheduling concerning her family,” said the spokesperson, Peter Mirijanian.

Mr Mirijanian insisted no classified information was transmitted in the messages, no emails were deleted and that correspondences had been “retained” in line with public records laws.

“When concerns were raised in the press 14 months ago, Ms Trump reviewed and verified her email use with White House Counsel and explained the issue to congressional leaders,” he said.

Revelations concerning Ms Trump’s email were uncovered following a series of freedom of information requests by nonpartisan ethics watchdog American Oversight.

“The president’s family is not above the law, and there are serious questions that congress should immediately investigate,” said the group’s executive director Austin Evers.

“For more than two years, president Trump and senior leaders in congress have made it very clear that they view the use of personal email servers for government business to be a serious offence that demands investigation and even prosecution, and we expect the same standard will be applied in this case.”

Of the hundreds of emails sent from Ms Trump to administration officials using her private account, most were relating to her official work schedule or to staff who cared for her children.

A smaller number, however, thought to be fewer than 100 messages, were focused on discussions of government policy.

Correspondence from Ms Trump sent to Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon and education secretary Betsy DeVos were both discovered during the American Oversight investigation.

Additional reporting by AP