According to a government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) China granted permission for the three Ivanka Trump Marks LLC trademarks on June 7.
It was the same day that the US president lifted sanctions against a Chinese telecommunications company.
The watchdog has expressed alarm over the unusual timing of Ivanka Trump’s business endeavors in China.
“The questionable part of this is, is there any significance to the timing of when she got registration?” CREW spokesman Jordan Libowitz told Newsweek on Wednesday. “You can’t say that there’s quid pro quo behavior, but the timing does raise questions that everything is happening around the same time.”
CREW found it suspicious that all the approvals happened around the same time.
“It may be a coincidence, but if it is, it’s a coincidence that could have easily been avoided, and quite frankly, they should have avoided. Both Trump and Ivanka should have sold their assets when they got into the White House,” Libowitz said.
Despite the watchdog’s suspicions, Abigail Klem, president of Ivanka Trump's company, said it has followed proper business protocol.
Earlier last month, The Washington Post reported that the Senate plans to challenge President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions with a measure in the annual defense bill that would block the deal.