Kellyanne Conway offered what she called a “free commercial” for Ivanka Trump’s clothing line during an appearance on “Fox & Friends" on Thursday. | AP Photo Office of Government Ethics website breaks after Conway promotes Ivanka's brand

The website of the federal government’s ethics watchdog has been inaccessible for hours, and agency officials say it’s because of surging traffic.

“We received a high volume of traffic and we are looking at ways to redirect traffic and add capacity,” a spokesman for the Office of Government Ethics said.


Attempts to reach OGE’s website have been unsuccessful since early Thursday morning. Several hours after the site became inaccessible, the agency tweeted, “OGE’s website, phone system and email system are receiving an extraordinary volume of contacts from citizens about recent events.”

The tweet seemed to be referring to Trump administration adviser Kellyanne Conway, who appeared to violate ethics rules that prohibit executive branch officials from endorsing individual brands or products early Thursday morning. Conway offered what she called a “free commercial” for Ivanka Trump’s clothing line during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

In subsequent tweets, the agency emphasized that while it works to prevent ethics violations, “OGE does not have investigative or enforcement authority.”

“Congress, GAO, the FBI, Inspectors General, and the Office of Special Counsel have the authority to conduct investigations,” the agency tweeted. “When OGE learns of possible ethics violations, OGE contacts the agency, provides guidance & asks them to notify OGE of any action taken. OGE is actively following this agency-contact process.”

Asked about Conway’s comments at Thursday’s press briefing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer would say only that Conway had been “counseled” on the matter.

OGE director Walter Shaub has sparred with President Donald Trump and his administration over concerns about the pace of ethics reviews of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, as well as Trump’s decision not to fully divest from his byzantine real estate empire.

