WASHINGTON DC, United States — Nordstrom's sales of first daughter Ivanka Trump's line of clothing and shoes fell by nearly one-third in the past fiscal year, with sharp drops in sales weeks before the election, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Nordstrom announced this week it had decided to stop carrying Ivanka Trump's apparel, prompting President Donald Trump to take to Twitter to defend her. "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom," he said on Wednesday.

The Journal cited internal Nordstrom data as showing sales of Ivanka Trump's products were more than 70 percent lower in the second, third and fourth week of October compared to the same weeks the previous year.

Nordstrom had $14.3 million in sales in the fiscal year that ended in January, down from $20.9 million in the previous year, the Journal reported.

In addition to the president, others in the administration expressed support for Ivanka Trump's business. Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway was accused of violating ethics rules when she went on television to urge people to buy Ivanka Trump's products in what she called "a free commercial."

Republican Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight committee, said on Thursday he had asked the Office of Government Ethics to review Conway's comments and recommend disciplinary action against her if warranted.

Nordstrom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Diane Bartz; editor: Bill Trott.