ETHICS/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Less than three days after he was removed from the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee, Republican lawmaker Patrick Meehan asked the panel to investigate allegations he engaged in sexual harassment and misused official resources. The committee on Monday [1-22-18] said it had become aware of public allegations about the misconduct […]
Category: Ethics
1/16/2018
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “A new report documents 64 politicians, interest groups, corporations and entities affiliated with foreign governments that used Trump-branded properties in the past year. The report released Tuesday [1-16-18] by Public Citizen, a liberal-funded watchdog group based in Washington, comes about a year after President Donald Trump stepped away from day-to-day management […]
1/15/2018
DONALDISM/ETHICS/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Every awards show has its critics, but President Donald Trump’s much ballyhooed ‘Fake News Awards’ has drawn attention from a group beyond the usual peanut gallery: ethics experts who say the event could run afoul of White House rules and, depending on what exactly the president says during the proceedings, the First […]
1/7/2018
DEMS/ETHICS/POLITICAL FIGURES: “A prominent donor to the Democratic Party says she is considering withdrawing support for senators who urged their colleague Al Franken to resign after he was accused of sexual misconduct. The donor, Susie Tompkins Buell, has been one of the Democratic Party’s most generous supporters for decades. In particular, she has been a […]
1/7/2018
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/ISRAEL/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Last May, Jared Kushner accompanied President Trump, his father-in-law, on the pair’s first diplomatic trip to Israel, part of Mr. Kushner’s White House assignment to achieve peace in the Middle East. Shortly before, his family real estate company received a roughly $30 million investment from Menora Mivtachim, an insurer that […]
12/22/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL: “A former aide to GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold contacted the House Ethics Committee last week to detail what she said were regular requests from the congressman and his chief of staff to perform campaign-related duties even though she was never paid by or volunteered with his congressional campaign. Elizabeth Peace, who was Farenthold’s communications […]
12/15/2017
ETHICS/HOUSE OF REPS: “The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee said on Friday [12-15-17] it has begun an investigation into public reports that Democrat Ruben Kihuen engaged in sexual harassment, adding that starting the probe is not a sign that the Nevada Representative violated any rules. ‘As I’ve said previously, I intend to fully cooperate, […]
12/14/2017
ETHICS/GOP/TEXAS: “Rep. Blake Farenthold, who has faced allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior from former staff members, will not seek reelection, according to a source familiar with the situation. The Texas Republican’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday [12-14-17], but the news comes after the House Ethics Committee opened an […]
12/13/2017
ETHICS/GOP/LEGAL: “A Kentucky lawmaker died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday [12-13-17] evening after facing allegations that he molested a 17-year-old girl in 2012. Dan Johnson, a Republican state representative, shot himself on the Greenwell Ford Road bridge in Mt. Washington, Kentucky, according to the Bullitt County coroner. The apparent suicide came after […]
12/7/2017
ETHICS/POLITICS: “The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Blake Farenthold over allegations that he sexually harassed a former aide and then retaliated against her when she complained about it. The committee said new evidence in the matter, which was first reviewed in 2015, warranted an investigation. Earlier Thursday [12-7-17], the panel said it […]
12/7/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $14,000 on government helicopters this summer to take himself and staff to and from official events near Washington, D.C., in order to accommodate his attendance at a swearing-in ceremony for his replacement in Congress and a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence, according to previously […]
12/6/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES/WOMEN: “Democratic senators called for Sen. Al Franken to resign on Wednesday [12-6-17], in the wake of a series of allegations of sexual misconduct, in a dramatic shift that narrows the likelihood the Democratic lawmaker will be able to stay in his seat. The wave of statements from the senators, including a member of […]
12/1/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Rep. Blake Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his former spokesman — the only known sitting member of Congress to have used a little-known congressional account to pay an accuser, sources told POLITICO. Lauren Greene, the Texas Republican’s former communications director, sued her boss in December 2014 […]
12/1/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES: “The revelation that Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) secretly settled a sexual harassment claim using his office funds obscured a disturbing fact: The House appears to have no clear rules on whether Conyers’ colleagues can do the same thing. Conyers in 2015 made a severance payment of roughly $27,000 to a former aide who […]
11/30/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES: “The Senate Ethics Committee has begun looking into the allegations against Sen. Al Franken, according to a statement from the committee issued Thursday [11-30-17]… Franken faces numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including one incident shared by an accuser who came forward earlier Thursday. Stephanie Kemplin, a 41-year-old Army veteran, told CNN that Franken […]
11/30/2017
ETHICS/HOUSE OF REPS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES: “U.S. Democratic Representative John Conyers, who is facing several sexual harassment allegations, has been hospitalized, an attorney for Conyers said on Thursday [11-30-17]. Conyers, 88, who has served in Congress since 1965, returned to Detroit on Tuesday, although the House of Representatives is still in session… Reed did not say why […]
11/27/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES/WOMEN: “Senator Al Franken, addressing reporters here for the first time since reports emerged that he had groped several women, said on Monday that he was sorry and would be getting back to work to try to regain the trust of women, voters and his colleagues… Four women have accused Mr. Franken, who was […]
11/27/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The ranks of former White House ethics lawyers available to comment on the ongoing controversies engulfing President Donald Trump’s administration has just grown by one — an attorney who’s certain to offer a much different perspective than the most prominent figures now ensconced as seemingly permanent fixtures on cable news. After almost a […]
11/26/2017
ETHICS/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Rep. John Conyers said Sunday he would step aside from his post as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee while an ethics panel investigates allegations of sexual harassment against him… Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York will take over as the committee’s top Democrat. Mr. Conyers acknowledged last week that he […]
11/22/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Bottles from Trump Winery have been on sale at a gift shop in Shenandoah National Park, located about two hours from Washington, D.C. Ethics watchdogs have slammed President Donald Trump for apparent conflicts of interest, particularly opportunities to make money from his public position. But the park and store management say […]
11/22/2017
ETHICS/KELLYANNE CONWAY/LEGAL: “A prominent government ethics expert has filed a complaint against White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, alleging that she violated federal law Monday [11-20-17] by appearing to advocate against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore’s Democratic opponent. Walter Shaub, who resigned in July as the head of the Office of Government Ethics, said on Twitter […]
11/22/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES/WOMEN: “Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) acknowledged he settled a wrongful-dismissal claim in 2015 involving a former female employee, but denied allegations of sexual harassment. Mr. Conyers on Tuesday [11-21-17] said he settled the complaint to avoid litigation. He added he would cooperate with any further investigation in the House. News of the settlement […]
11/20/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s wife has frustrated department staffers by saddling them with extra work when she traveled with her husband on official business, according to new records that a liberal watchdog group says uncover the potential misuse of government resources. The records document Lola Zinke’s last-minute requests to join high-level dinners and […]
11/17/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call for ethics investigations into two Democratic senators and a Republican candidate is putting a spotlight on a Senate committee that largely operates in secret and doesn’t disclose the results of many of its investigations. On Thursday, a woman accused Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) of sexual misconduct in […]
11/14/2017
ETHICS/JEFF SESSIONS/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES/WOMEN: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday [11-14-17] that he had ‘no reason to doubt’ the women who have made sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, joining a wave of high-profile Republicans who have expressed confidence in his accusers. But Sessions did not say whether Moore should be seated […]
11/9/2017
ETHICS/POLITICAL FIGURES/WALTER SHAUB: “Walter Shaub said he felt almost powerless as head of the Office of Government Ethics to serve as a check on President Donald Trump’s administration, but he’s pushing Congress to empower his successors. Shaub, now the senior director for ethics at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, sent a letter Thursday [11-9-17] to […]
11/7/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “One Saturday in early April, Omarosa Manigault caused a stir in the White House. The Apprentice villain turned senior White House official brought members of her 39-person bridal party to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for an extended wedding photo shoot, catching fellow senior aides and some security officials by surprise in her bridal attire. […]
11/5/2017
COMMERCE/ETHICS/RUSSIA/WILBUR ROSS: “Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross failed to disclose business connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s family and inner circle on a required personal financial-disclosure form earlier this year, according to documents released over the weekend. Mr. Ross said earlier this year that he would retain stakes owned by his private-equity firm in a gas-shipping […]
10/24/2017
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has directed millions of dollars in political contributions since 2014 to a network of Washington operatives that prominent conservatives have accused of profiting by misleading donors… The details about Zinke’s fundraising and spending practices have not been previously reported, nor has his years-long relationship with Mackenzie’s Virgin […]
10/12/2017
ETHICS/GOP/POLITICAL FIGURES: “The House Ethics Committee said Thursday [10-12-17] it will continue to look into New York GOP Rep. Chris Collins’ dealings with an Australian biotech company, but has not moved ahead with a full-scale investigation into the matter. The Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent watchdog, had unanimously recommended that the Ethics Committee launch […]
10/11/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “A federal judge indicated Wednesday [10-11-17] that she was taken aback by how little information the government turned over in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records about President Donald Trump’s visitors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but she turned aside a request to rule that the authorities appeared […]
10/6/2017
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/POLITICS/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA/JARED KUSHNER: “A state assemblyman wants state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s decision to drop a case against two of President Trump’s kids. Vance received a $31,000 donation from Trump’s personal lawyer in 2013 after deciding not to prosecute Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Vance […]
10/5/2017
ETHICS/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has not violated any laws with his use of government-funded planes but should provide more detail on why he needs them in the future, the department’s inspector general found in a report released Thursday [10-5-17]. Mnuchin has flown on military aircraft seven times since becoming secretary, at a cost […]
10/5/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior came under further scrutiny on Thursday [10-5-17] amid a media report that he had attended a Republican fundraiser in March during a government trip to the Caribbean. Politico, citing department travel records and other documents, said Ryan Zinke attended a Virgin Islands […]
10/4/2017
ENERGY/ETHICS/RICK PERRY: “U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry took a chartered jet to Ohio last week, according to an airport management company, the day before fellow Cabinet member Tom Price resigned over his use of private charter flights for government business. Perry took the private plane from Hazleton Regional Airport in Pennsylvania to the Greater Portsmouth […]
10/4/2017
ETHICS/KELLYANNE CONWAY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee wants the White House to provide details of private jet flights that counselor Kellyanne Conway took with former HHS Secretary Tom Price, who resigned last week in the wake of a scandal over his use of charter planes for official business. Conway took several […]
10/3/2017
ETHICS/VA/VETS: “The VA’s inspector general is reviewing Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin’s July business trip to London and Denmark, which included meetings with Danish and UK officials as well as a stop at Wimbledon. It’s now the fifth investigation into a member of the Trump administration’s travel by a department inspector general. Shulkin joins Environmental […]
10/3/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is investigating whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke broke the law when he gave a speech to a professional hockey team owned by a political donor in June, the agency said on Tuesday. Zinke is already being investigated by the Interior Department’s inspector general in connection […]
10/2/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA/JARED KUSHNER: “White House officials have begun examining emails associated with a third and previously unreported email account on Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s private domain, according to three people familiar with the matter. Hundreds of emails have been sent since January from White House addresses to accounts on the Kushner family domain, these […]
10/2/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general’s office has opened an investigation into Secretary Ryan Zinke’s use of taxpayer-funded charter planes, a spokeswoman said Monday [10-2-17]. The watchdog has ‘received numerous complaints’ and launched its investigation late last week, said Nancy K. DiPaolo, spokeswoman for Interior’s Office of the Inspector General. Zinke is one of […]
9/28/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his aides have taken several flights on private or military aircraft, including a $12,000 charter plane to take him to events in his hometown in Montana and private flights between two Caribbean islands, according to documents and a department spokeswoman. Zinke is at least the fourth senior member […]
9/28/2017
ETHICS/HHS/TOM PRICE: “Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said he would stop traveling on private jets and reimburse the federal government more than $50,000 for his flights, a day after President Donald Trump said he wasn’t pleased with the practice and signaled it could endanger his job… Dr. Price, a former Republican congressman from […]
9/28/2017
ETHICS/HHS/TOM PRICE: “The White House approved the use of military aircraft for multi-national trips by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to Africa and Europe this spring, and to Asia in the summer, at a cost of more than $500,000 to taxpayers. The overseas trips bring the total cost to taxpayers of Price’s travels […]
9/27/2017
EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has taken at least four noncommercial and military flights since mid-February, costing taxpayers more than $58,000 to fly him to various parts of the country, according to records provided to a congressional oversight committee and obtained by The Washington Post… The EPA provided documents that outlined how […]
9/27/2017
ETHICS/HHS/TOM PRICE: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [9-27-17] said ‘we’ll see’ when asked if he would fire Health and Human Secretary Tom Price in the wake of reports he has used taxpayer-funded private planes for government business. The President said he is ‘not happy’ about the practice several of his Cabinet members have engaged in… […]
9/25/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: “On Sept. 28, 2016, three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department suggesting that the drug company Mylan was violating Medicaid laws. Nine days later, the Justice Department reached a massive $465 million settlement with the firm. In between, another action happened almost invisibly: A […]
9/23/2017
ETHICS/HHS/TOM PRICE: “Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, said on Saturday [9-23-17] that he did not plan to travel on private jets until the department’s inspector general completes a formal review of the use of taxpayer funds for his chartered flights… In a report published late Saturday afternoon, Politico said it had […]
9/17/2017
CAMPAIGN/ETHICS/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Some White House and Trump campaign officials caught up in investigations of Russia’s electoral meddling are struggling to pay their legal bills, prompting them to create legal defense funds, liquidate personal accounts and explore other sources of financing. Washington is one of the nation’s costliest legal jurisdictions, with many lawyers charging upward of […]
9/15/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The Trump administration on Friday [9-15-17] escalated a battle with government ethics groups by declining, even in the face of a federal court order, to release a comprehensive list of individuals visiting with President Trump at his family’s Mar-a-Lago resort during the two dozen days he spent at the private club […]
9/14/2017
ETHICS/STEVE MNUNCHIN/TREASURY: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requested the use of a military aircraft to fly him and his wife to several European countries for their honeymoon following their June wedding, but he later withdrew the request, a Treasury spokesman said Wednesday [9-13-17]. Mr. Mnuchin asked to use the government jet to travel with his new […]
9/13/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/LOBBYING: “The U.S. Office of Government Ethics has quietly reversed its own internal policy prohibiting anonymous donations from lobbyists to White House staffers who have legal defense funds. The little-noticed change could help President Donald Trump’s aides raise the money they need to pay attorneys as the Russia probe expands — but raises the potential […]
8/30/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general said it dropped a probe into a reported threat by the agency’s head, Ryan Zinke, to Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to harm her state over her opposition to her party’s efforts to repeal Obamacare. In a letter on Tuesday to two congressmen who called for the […]
8/25/2017
ETHICS/STEVE MNUCHIN: “A government ethics watchdog group is launching their own investigation into Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton’s travel to Kentucky after a photo posted by Linton, spotlighting her lavish designer clothing as she stepped off a government plane, went viral. CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, has requested […]
8/17/2017
ETHICS/NEIL GORSUCH/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is slated to headline a September event at the Trump International Hotel. The ‘Defending Freedom Luncheon,’ hosted by the nonprofit Fund for American Studies, is an invitation-only event to celebrate ‘the constitutional framework that has protected our free society and made America exceptional,’ according to the […]
8/11/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “President Trump’s hotel in Washington, DC, jacked up its rates after he took office more than it had planned to charge — and the posh facility outperformed his company’s expectations as a result, a new report said Friday [8-11-17]. The Trump International Hotel, in the opulently renovated Old Post Office near […]
8/4/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The Interior Department’s inspector general said it would investigate a reported threat by the agency’s head, Ryan Zinke, against Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski’s state of Alaska last week over her opposition to her party’s efforts to repeal Obamacare. Zinke called Murkowski and Alaska’s other U.S. senator, Republican Dan Sullivan, on July 26, the […]
8/2/2017
ETHICS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Kushner Cos., the New York property development business owned by the family of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, has been subpoenaed by New York federal prosecutors regarding its use of an investment-for-immigration program, according to people familiar with the matter. The subpoena concerns at least one Jersey City, N.J., development financed […]
8/1/2017
ETHICS/INTERIOR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/RYAN ZINKE: “The recalcitrant senator kept crossing up the inexperienced new president on big-ticket legislation even though they represented the same party. Frustrated and angry, the White House fought back, threatening retaliation both petty and portentous, eyeing federal jobs and programs in the state of the rebellious lawmaker to force obedience. While […]
7/27/2017
DEMS/ETHICS/INTELLIGENCE/INTERIOR/RYAN ZINKE: “The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee said Thursday [7-27-17] he will request a formal investigation into whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke threatened projects important to Alaska in retribution for Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s vote against health care legislation. Zinke called Murkowski and fellow Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan Wednesday afternoon — a […]
7/26/2017
ETHICS: “David J. Apol, named by President Trump last week as the new head of the Office of Government Ethics, has repeatedly clashed with colleagues over his career at the agency as he sought to roll back or loosen ethics requirements on federal employees, including those in the White House, three former senior officials at […]
7/26/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Promotional materials for the Trump Tower in Mumbai improperly featured a reference to President Donald Trump, showing how difficult it is to separate the president from a brand whose value is based on his name. A public-relations campaign for the 75-story condominium tower—set to be completed in less than two years […]
7/18/2017
EPA/ETHICS/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT PRUITT: “A Democratic member of the U.S. Senate committee that conducted confirmation hearings for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a letter Tuesday [7-18-17] that Oklahoma’s former attorney general presented ‘inconsistent and contradictory statements’ to the panel. Pruitt’s ‘misleading answers, evasiveness, and stonewalling’ had stymied the committee’s ability to provide oversight […]
7/17/2017
ETHICS/POLITICAL FIGURES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALTER SHAUB: “Actions by President Trump and his administration have created a historic ethics crisis, the departing head of the Office of Government Ethics said. He called for major changes in federal law to expand the power and reach of the oversight office and combat the threat. Walter M. Shaub Jr., who […]
7/17/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Government watchdog group Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington said Monday [7-17-17] that President Donald Trump’s administration will have to release visitor records for his private Mar-a-Lago club in response to a lawsuit it filed — though it’s far from clear it will get what it’s looking for. CREW, which filed […]
7/16/2017
ETHICS/RUSSIA: “A lawyer for President Donald Trump said Sunday that no laws were broken when the president’s eldest son agreed to a meeting in June 2016 to hear what was described as a Russian government offer of allegedly damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. Jay Sekulow appeared on all five major Sunday morning news programs […]
7/14/2017
BUSINESS/ETHICS/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Prominent technology-industry leaders and venture capitalists gathered in the White House’s state dining room last month to discuss tech policy with President Donald Trump in an event that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, helped organize. Seated at the rectangular table alongside the corporate luminaries, university presidents and senior White […]
7/13/2017
ETHICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR/JARED KUSHNER: “Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida introduced a pair of amendments aimed at stripping White House senior adviser Jared Kushner of his security clearance into a 2018 appropriations bill that were voted down Thursday [7-13-17]. The amendments came as Kushner found himself under renewed scrutiny after his participation in a […]
7/12/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “Former ethics lawyers for presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush both think Donald Trump Jr. broke the law when he met with a Russian lawyer to get purported damaging information on Hillary Clinton. In an editorial penned Tuesday [7-11-17] night in the New York Times, the two called Trump Jr.’s defense […]
7/10/2017
2016 ELECTION/ETHICS/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son on Monday [7-10-17] offered to talk to a Senate committee investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, after he acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer during the campaign. ‘Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know,’ Donald Trump Jr. wrote […]
7/10/2017
ETHICS/FBI/NOMINATIONS: “President Donald Trump’s pick to run the FBI, Christopher Wray, is worth more than $23 million and will recuse himself from any investigation in which his law firm represents a party, according to ethics disclosures provided on Monday [7-11-17]. Mr. Wray, a former senior Justice Department official, has spent the past decade as a […]
7/10/2017
2016 ELECTION/ETHICS/LEGAL/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “Donald Trump Jr. is in a legal danger zone following his acknowledgment that he met during the heat of the 2016 presidential campaign with a Russian lawyer with Kremlin ties who offered to deliver damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Democratic and Republican lawyers and political operatives alike say explanations about the […]
7/10/2017
ETHICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “President Donald Trump’s eldest son arranged a June 2016 meeting between top campaign aides and a Russian lawyer who has been linked to the Kremlin after being told she ‘might have information helpful to the campaign.’ In a statement Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. said he didn’t know the lawyer’s name before the […]
7/10/2017
ETHICS/RUSSIA/TRUMP FAMILY/DONALD JR: “The Kremlin on Monday [7-10-17] said it was unaware of a 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer purported to have information that could potentially damage Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. President Trump’s eldest son said Sunday that Natalia Veselnitskaya, who represents business executives close to the Russian government had […]
7/6/2017
ETHICS: “Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub said Thursday [7-6-17] he plans to resign later this month, ending a tenure that in recent months was marked by frequent tangles with the Trump administration. ‘The great privilege and honor of my career has been to lead OGE’s staff and the community of ethics officials in […]
6/27/2017
ETHICS/FEDERAL RESERVE/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is struggling to find a nominee for the Federal Reserve board with community banking experience, delaying plans to fill two other Fed vacancies, including a key regulatory post. The problem: They can’t find somebody willing to take the job. Ethics rules require Fed governors and their immediate family […]
6/19/2017
ETHICS/HOUSE OF REPS: “Rep. Trey Gowdy, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said that he would like to avoid showdowns between Congress and the municipal government of Washington, D.C., over city-passed laws. Mr. Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican who was last week elected chairman of the congressional committee that has […]
6/16/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is outlining the financial health of the business assets he placed into a trust when he took office. The information comes in a new financial disclosure he voluntarily made Friday [6-16-17] to the Office of Government Ethics. The documents cover January 2016 through this spring. The report shows Trump […]
6/16/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/CUBA/ETHICS/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The proposed changes in US-Cuba relations that President Donald Trump will unveil Friday in Miami could adversely impact hotel brands that directly compete with Trump’s business empire, making it more difficult for them expand their foothold in Cuba. Trump’s changes in Cuba policy include prohibiting ‘financial transactions, including […]
6/12/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In a new legal challenge to President Trump, Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Monday [6-12-17] alleging that his failure to shed his private businesses has undermined public trust and violated constitutional bans against self-dealing. The lawsuit, filed in a Maryland federal court, makes many of the […]
6/11/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Government lawyers said Friday [6-9-17] that the U.S. Constitution permits President Donald Trump’s hotels and other businesses to accept payments from foreign governments, in response to a lawsuit alleging such payments violate the Constitution. Instead of divesting after he was elected president, Mr. Trump put his business assets into a trust […]
6/8/2017
ETHICS/GOP/NOMINATIONS: “South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy has been selected Thursday [6-8-17] to be the next chairman of the House oversight committee, the powerful entity charged with providing oversight over the White House and administration. A source familiar with the vote by the Republican steering committee told CNN that Gowdy will replace outgoing chairman Utah […]
6/7/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A former White House ethics czar and ambassador to the Czech Republic during the Obama said Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony is ‘the equivalent of the Nixon tapes.’ ‘I think it’s remarkable,’ Norman Eisen told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on CNN’s ‘Newsroom.’ ‘Clearly Director Comey is looking ahead to the […]
5/31/2017
ETHICS/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has given at least 16 White House staff members dispensation to work on policy matters they handled while employed as lobbyists or to interact with their former colleagues in private-sector jobs, according to records released late Wednesday [5-31-7]. The details on these so-called ethics waivers — more than five times […]
5/24/2017
2016 ELECTION/CLIMATE CHANGE/ETHICS/INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “Senate Democrats are accusing the White House of purposely ignoring requests for information on issues ranging from the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections, to ethics waivers given to top officials and changes in environmental rules. At issue are the routine requests that members of Congress make to federal agencies […]
5/23/2017
ETHICS/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush was baffled at the latest kerfuffle between the White House and the Office of Government Ethics. On Monday [5-22-17], The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump’s White House refused to disclose to the OGE any ethics waivers granted to former lobbyists […]
5/23/2017
ETHICS/POLITICS: “The House’s most powerful investigative gavel is set to land in the hands of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) with little drama once Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz leaves Congress next month, according to multiple members and aides familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions about the post. Chaffetz (R-Utah) is stepping down June […]
5/22/2017
ETHICS/LOBBYING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/MICK MULVANEY: “The Trump administration, in a significant escalation of its clash with the government’s top ethics watchdog, has moved to block an effort to disclose any ethics waivers granted to former lobbyists who have work in the White House or federal agencies. The latest conflict came in recent days when the […]
5/22/2017
BUDGET/ETHICS/LOBBYING: “The Office of Government Ethics has rejected a White House attempt to block the agency’s compilation of federal ethics rules waivers granted to officials hired into the Trump administration from corporations and lobbying firms. The White House action, a letter to OGE Director Walter M. Shaub Jr. from Office of Management and Budget Director […]
5/19/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump’s attorneys originally wanted him to submit an updated financial disclosure without certifying the information as true, according to correspondence with the Office of Government Ethics. Attorney Sheri Dillon said she saw no need for Trump to sign his 2016 personal financial disclosure because he is filing voluntarily this year. But […]
5/12/2107
ETHICS/FBI/JAMES COMEY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s statement that he discussed the FBI’s Russia investigation with former Director James Comey has raised red flags among legal experts who said such conversations would be improper. ‘There generally shouldn’t be communications about pending investigations and if you need an explanation why, see: Watergate, basically,’ said Kathleen Clark, […]
5/8/2017
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “It was the first major piece of legislation that President Trump signed into law, and buried on Page 734 was one sentence that brought a potential benefit to the president’s extended family: renewal of a program offering permanent residence in the United States to affluent foreigners investing money […]
5/8/2017
CHINA/CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “A company owned by Jared Kushner’s family is apologizing for mentioning the White House adviser at an investment conference in China. Kushner Companies said Monday [5-8-17] that the name drop at the event in Beijing on Saturday was not intended to be an ‘attempt to lure investors’ to one of […]
5/5/2017
CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/STATE/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA: “An official State Department Twitter account retweeted a tweet promoting Ivanka Trump’s new book, ‘Women Who Work,’ raising ethics questions. It has since been deleted. ‘Thank you to my beautiful sisters for the support of my #WomenWhoWorkBook!’ Ivanka Trump wrote in the initial tweet from her personal account, alongside photos of […]
5/3/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, is currently in business with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and billionaires George Soros and Peter Thiel, according to people familiar with the matter and securities filings. The previously undisclosed business relationships with titans of the financial and technology worlds are through a real-estate tech […]
5/1/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA: “The Office of Government Ethics raised concerns about Ivanka Trump’s status as an informal adviser to the president before she announced that she would be an employee of the White House. OGE Director Walter M. Shaub said in a letter to Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that he contacted Trump’s […]
4/26/2017
ETHICS/INTELLIGENCE/POLITICS/RUSSIA: “The new leader of the House Russia investigation asked House Democrats to cool their barrage of criticism as part of a reset for the House intelligence committee that both sides hope will hold. Rep. Mike Conaway asked Democrats on the committee to curb their critiques for a bit while he got his footing as […]
04/18/2017
CHINA/CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee blasted the family of President Donald Trump on Tuesday [4-18-17], saying that the approval in China of patents for Ivanka Trump set a new bar for ethical conflicts. ‘Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Trump offers something else that’s […]
4/19/2017
CAMPAIGN/CONFLICT OF INTERESTS/ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s record $106.7 million inauguration fundraising haul drew heavily from U.S. companies with policy issues in front of the new Republican administration, according to documents released Wednesday [4-19-17]… Other Trump inauguration corporate donors — named in an exhaustive 510-page Federal Election Commission report — are among those who […]
04/03/2017
ETHICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “When President Donald Trump placed his businesses in a trust upon entering the White House, he put his sons in charge and claimed to distance himself from his sprawling empire. ‘I hope at the end of eight years I’ll come back and say, *Oh you did a good job,*’ Trump said […]
3/28/2017
CABINET/CONFLICT OF INTEREST/ETHICS/TREASURY/TRUMP PEOPLE/STEVEN MNUCHIN: “The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee asked the government ethics watchdog on Monday to review comments by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plugging ‘The Lego Batman Movie,’ a film one of his companies produced, for a possible ethics violation. In a letter to Office of Government Ethics Director Walter […]