A factory that makes Ivanka Trump's shoes is embroiled in a scandal that's getting stranger by the day
Three men who were working undercover to investigate two factories run by Huajian Group fell out of contact with their employer, US nonprofit China Labor Watch, over the weekend, the Associated Press reported.
One of the activists, Hua Haifeng, was arrested and accused of illegal surveillance. The other two men are missing.
The Huajian Group produces footwear sold by Ivanka Trump's brand, as well as Coach, Karl Lagerfeld, and Kendall + Kylie. China Labor Watch said that early findings indicated that the factories' employees worked long hours and earned less than the local minimum wage.
"So many people don't understand factory workers' plight," Hau's wife, Deng, told AFP News. "No matter our financial struggles, I never questioned the importance of my husband's work."
While Ivanka Trump stepped down from her position leading the fashion brand prior to her father's inauguration, the first daughter still receives payment from the fashion brand. She currently works in the White House as an adviser to the president.
The first daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, who also works in the White House, have been criticized for failing to disclose their lavish art collection in financial documents. And, Ivanka Trump HQ faced online backlash after the brand tweeted a recipe for champagne popsicles on Memorial Day - something that many found insensitive.