TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. pictured in January 2017.
- Ivanka Trump in an interview with the Associated Press claimed that the identity of the whistleblower whose complaint about her father, President Donald Trump, sparked an impeachment probe is "not particularly relevant."
- Her position differs from that of her father, who has called for the whistleblower to be named, and her brother, Donald Trump Jr.
- Earlier this week, Trump Jr tweeted the name of an official who far-right activists and conservative websites have alleged is the whistleblower.
- Business Insider has not been able to verify the alleged identity, and is not repeating it in this article.
- The whistleblower who raised alarm about President Trump's behavior towards Ukraine is granted anonymity under federal law.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Ivanka Trump has taken a different position to her father President Donald Trump and brother Donald Trump Jr over publicly naming an official whose whistleblower complaint about the president sparked an impeachment probe.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Thursday, Ivanka, who serves as an unpaid adviser in her father's administration, remarked that the identity of the official is "not particularly relevant."
"The whistleblower shouldn't be a substantive part of the conversation," she told the AP, saying the person "did not have firsthand information."
Of the whistleblower's identity, she added that, "to me, it's not particularly relevant aside from what the motivation behind all of this was."
Under federal law, it is illegal to disclose the identity of the official who complained that President Trump may have abused his office by pressuring the Ukrainian government to open an investigation into Joe Biden, a domestic political rival of Trump.
Associated Press
Ivanka Trump told the Associated Press that she doesn't think the whistleblower's name is "particularly relevant."
The identity of the whistleblower has become the focus of allies of the president seeking to defend him against an impeachment probe launched by House Democrats in response to the complaint.
Trump has himself called on the media to name the official, and conservative and far-right media outlets and activists have circulated the name of a CIA official who they claim is the whistleblower, and is engaged in a partisan plot to unseat the president.
No convincing evidence has emerged demonstrating that the official named is the whistleblower, but on Wednesday the president's son lent his support to those claiming to have unmasked the whistleblower by tweeting the official's name.
BuzzFeed News added that the individual has long featured in right-wing conspiracy theories about Ukraine.
Business Insider has not been able to verify the alleged identity, and is not repeating it in this article.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
"The whistleblower shouldn't be a substantive part of the conversation," Ivanka Trump said.
Ivanka Trump has previously sought to soften the image of the Trump presidency, while her brother in contrast has used his Twitter account to amplify the conspiracy theories of the pro-Trump far right.
There is some evidence though that the White House in fact doesn't want the official to be named, and attacks on the media for refusing to publish the name are part of a political ploy.
Republicans close to the White House told the AP that the refusal to name the official makes it easier for the president to undermine the official's credibility, and enables him to attack the media for colluding with a "deep state" plot to unseat him in refusing to disclose the identity.