Conway should be investigated over Ivanka plug: US ethics watchdog

A US ethics watchdog says one of Donald Trump's top aides should be investigated after she publicly endorsed the clothing brand of the president's daughter.

Trump counsellor Kellyanne Conway has come under fire for publicly endorsing Ivanka Trump's clothing line. Source: Getty Images

The US government's ethics watchdog is recommending that the White House investigate and possibly discipline President Donald Trump's counsellor Kellyanne Conway.

In a letter made public on Tuesday, the Office of Government Ethics wrote to White House attorneys that there's reason to believe that Conway violated the standards of ethical conduct for executive employees by endorsing Ivanka Trump's fashion line during a television interview last week.

The letter notes lawyers for the White House and OGE spoke on February 9 - the day of Conway's interview - and that the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Oversight Committee asked OGE to follow up.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said last week that Conway has been "counselled," but the OGE said it has yet to receive any guidance on what if anything happened as a corrective action.

The OGE is requesting that White House lawyers tell them in writing by February 28 what they've done about the matter.