Ivanka Trump lawyers up as Russia scandal closes in

She has hired Abbe Lowell, head of the white collar crime division of the law firm Norton Rose Fullbright. His past clients include lobbyist Jack Abramoff, as well as former Sen. John Edwards.

Lowell will reportedly be helping her through the probe into the relationship between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian attempts to meddle in the election. Her husband, Jared Kushner, has also retained Lowell’s services.

The announcement comes as Democrats have begun asking about her role in the Trump team’s repeated lies about the connections between them and Russia. House Democrats have asked the FBI to review the security clearance she received when she joined her father’s administration as an aide. Her husband failed to disclose meetings with more than 100 foreign contacts, including several Russians, and later submitted revised forms. It is not yet known whether those forms are complete.

In their letter to the FBI, Democrats wrote, “We are concerned that Ivanka Trump may have engaged in similar deception.” They are trying to find out if she made foreign contacts, which must be reported when applying for a White House position.

Despite her White House role — and the influence it gives her over decisions affecting her personal bottom line — Trump infamously said, “I try to stay out of politics.” That wasn’t true when she said it, and her decision to hire a defense lawyer may indicate she was never the innocent bystander she pretended to be.