A group of law professors have filed a misconduct complaint against Kellyanne Conway, claiming that she violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys by giving false statements to the media. 
 
 Fifteen professors who teach legal ethics at law schools across the country signed the complaint, which was filed with the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel. Conway is a member of the D.C. Bar under her maiden name, Kellyanne Fitzpatrick, although records show that her membership has been suspended for non-payment of dues (she remains an active member of the New Jersey Bar). 
 
 The complaint states that attorneys holding public office “have a higher obligation to avoid conduct involving dishonest [sic], fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation than other lawyers.” Conway allegedly failed to live up to that obligation when she referred to a “Bowling Green Massacre” as justification for President Trump’s travel ban, even though “Ms. Conway knew there was no massacre.” The complaint also says that Conway made another false statement when she said that President Obama banned Iraqis from the United States after the so-called massacre. The argument put forward in the complaint says that there was no formal ban on Iraqis, only an order of enhanced screening. 
 
 In addition to those instances, Conway is accused of “conduct involving ‘dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,'” for claiming that “alternative facts” supported the Trump administration’s claims regarding the size of the President’s inauguration crowd. The complaints says, “‘alternative facts’ are not facts at all; they are lies.” 
 
 On top of the alleged dishonesty, the professors allege that Conway “misused her position” when she promoted Ivanka Trump‘s brand on television from the White House, although they admit that this did not necessarily violate the attorney ethics rules. 
 
 [Image via Fox Business screengrab] 

 A group of law professors from around the country has filed a professional misconduct complaint against White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, a graduate of George Washington University Law School who was admitted to the D.C. Bar in 1995. 
 
 The letter, filed with the office that handles misconduct by members of the D.C. Bar, said Conway should be sanctioned for violating government ethics rules and “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation,” the letter says. 
 
 The 15 professors, who specialize in legal ethics, cite several incidents, including a television interview in which Conway made the “false statement that President Barack Obama had ‘banned’ Iraqi refugees from coming into the United States for six months following the ‘Bowling Green Massacre,’ ” and the use of her position to endorse Ivanka Trump products. 
 
 “We do not file this complaint lightly,” the professors said in their filing. “We believe that, at one time, Ms. Conway, understood her ethical responsibilities as a lawyer and abided by them. But she is currently acting in a way that brings shame upon the legal profession.” 
 
 The professors teach at law schools such as Georgetown University Law Center, Yale Law School, Fordham University and Duke University. 
 
 (Reuters) 
 
 [Read the professors’ letter of complaint against Conway] 
 
 The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
 
 The letter was sent to the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the chief prosecutor for disciplinary matters that involve active or inactive attorneys who are members of the D.C. Bar. Conway is listed as a D.C. Bar member under her maiden name, Kellyanne E. Fitzpatrick, but is a suspended member for not paying her dues, according to the disciplinary filing. 
 
 D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Wallace “Gene” Shipp Jr. said that his office receives about 1,500 complaints a year but investigates only between 400 to 500 of them. The actions that can be taken range from dismissal of the complaint to the prosecution of charges and possible disbarment, he said. 
 
 [White House says Conway has been ‘counseled’ after touting Ivanka Trump’s products] 
 
 Since she has been serving as counselor to President Trump, Conway has been caught up in several controversies. Last month, during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” she said the White House had put forth “alternative facts” regarding the size of Trump’s inauguration crowd. 
 
 “ ‘Alternative facts’ are not facts at all; they are lies,” the professors said in their filing. 
 
 1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Controversial comments from Kellyanne Conway that made headlines View Photos Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts” and referred to a “Bowling Green massacre” that never happened. Caption Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts” and referred to a “Bowling Green massacre” that never happened. The government has many ways to surveil “What I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other now, unfortunately,” including “microwaves that turn into cameras, et cetera,” Conway told the Bergen Record in an interview Sunday. “So we know that that is just a fact of modern life,”Conway told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” READ THE STORY Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Conway was also criticized for using her position during a Feb. 9 interview on Fox News to endorse Ivanka Trump’s fashion products. 
 
 “Federal rules on conflicts of interest specifically prohibit using public office ‘for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity,’” the complaint said. 
 
 Abbe Smith, a Georgetown Law Center professor and director of the Criminal Defense and Prisoner Advocacy Clinic, said she has never filed such a complaint before and generally does not believe that lawyers should routinely face discipline under the broad rule they cited, which includes conduct outside the practice of law. 
 
 “But Ms. Conway’s conduct was so outside the norm for a member of the legal profession,” Smith said. “What prompted our complaint was a combination of the specific conduct that Ms. Conway engaged in plus the fact that she holds such a high public office.” 
 
 Read more: 
 
 A university takes on one of its own, alumna Kellyanne Conway 
 
 ‘Morning Joe’ host says Kellyanne Conway was banned because ‘everything she said was disproven’
– Kellyanne Conway is "acting in a way that brings shame upon the legal profession," according to a professional misconduct complaint filed against her by 15 law professors specializing in legal ethics. The professors—who hail from Duke, Yale, Georgetown, Northern Kentucky, Saint Louis, Hofstra, and elsewhere—have a number of problems with Conway's conduct, which they claim shows "dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation," the Telegraph reports. According to the Washington Post, the professors cite her reference to the non-existent "Bowling Green massacre" during a TV interview (she later acknowledged that she misspoke), her endorsement of Ivanka Trump products, and more. The professors say that they don't "file this complaint lightly" and that Conway must be held to an even higher standard than other lawyers because she holds public office, Law Newz reports. The professors (their political affiliations aren't specified) say instead that Conway may no longer understand or follow the "ethical responsibilities" of a lawyer. The complaint was filed with the DC Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which handles issues dealing with members of the DC Bar. Conway was admitted to the DC Bar after graduating law school but has since been suspended for failing to pay dues, per the complaint. She is, however, an active member of the New Jersey Bar. While the Office of Disciplinary Counsel could technically disbar Conway over the complaint, it's unclear if it will even investigate the professors' allegations.