SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"I know that the effect is that there's an appearance that the businesses are profiting from [Trump's] presidency," Shaub said. (Photo: Screenshot/CBS News)
Departing Ethics Chief: Sure Looks Like Trump Is Profiting From Presidency
"The specter of a conflict of interest is always looming."
Jul 07, 2017
Following his abrupt resignation on Thursday--which lawmakers and watchdog groups said should be "deeply unnerving" to advocates of government accountability--Office of Government Ethics (OGE) head Walter Shaub said in a televised interview on CBS that it appears Donald Trump and members of his family are profiting from his presidency.
"Every senator should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
--Senator Elizabeth Warren"I can't know what their intention is," Shaub said. "I know that the effect is that there's an appearance that the businesses are profiting from his occupying the presidency. And appearance matters as much as reality."
"America should have the right to know what the motivations of its leaders are," he continued, "and they need to know that financial interests, personal financial interests, aren't among them."
Shaub, who had repeatedly battled Trump over his numerous attempts to flout federal ethics and transparency requirements, said that the United States needs to "have the gold standard for an ethics program in government."
Speaking with NPR shortly after he announced his decision to resign, Shaub argued that "the current situation" indicates a failure to live up to that standard.
Watch part of his interview with CBS:
Responding to Shaub's resignation, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the Senate to resist any attempt by the Trump White House to use the vacancy at the OGE to further undercut ethical standards.
"The Senate is responsible for confirming the new head of this post-Watergate ethics watchdog," Warren said, "and every senator--regardless of party--should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Following his abrupt resignation on Thursday--which lawmakers and watchdog groups said should be "deeply unnerving" to advocates of government accountability--Office of Government Ethics (OGE) head Walter Shaub said in a televised interview on CBS that it appears Donald Trump and members of his family are profiting from his presidency.
"Every senator should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
--Senator Elizabeth Warren"I can't know what their intention is," Shaub said. "I know that the effect is that there's an appearance that the businesses are profiting from his occupying the presidency. And appearance matters as much as reality."
"America should have the right to know what the motivations of its leaders are," he continued, "and they need to know that financial interests, personal financial interests, aren't among them."
Shaub, who had repeatedly battled Trump over his numerous attempts to flout federal ethics and transparency requirements, said that the United States needs to "have the gold standard for an ethics program in government."
Speaking with NPR shortly after he announced his decision to resign, Shaub argued that "the current situation" indicates a failure to live up to that standard.
Watch part of his interview with CBS:
Responding to Shaub's resignation, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the Senate to resist any attempt by the Trump White House to use the vacancy at the OGE to further undercut ethical standards.
"The Senate is responsible for confirming the new head of this post-Watergate ethics watchdog," Warren said, "and every senator--regardless of party--should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
Following his abrupt resignation on Thursday--which lawmakers and watchdog groups said should be "deeply unnerving" to advocates of government accountability--Office of Government Ethics (OGE) head Walter Shaub said in a televised interview on CBS that it appears Donald Trump and members of his family are profiting from his presidency.
"Every senator should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
--Senator Elizabeth Warren"I can't know what their intention is," Shaub said. "I know that the effect is that there's an appearance that the businesses are profiting from his occupying the presidency. And appearance matters as much as reality."
"America should have the right to know what the motivations of its leaders are," he continued, "and they need to know that financial interests, personal financial interests, aren't among them."
Shaub, who had repeatedly battled Trump over his numerous attempts to flout federal ethics and transparency requirements, said that the United States needs to "have the gold standard for an ethics program in government."
Speaking with NPR shortly after he announced his decision to resign, Shaub argued that "the current situation" indicates a failure to live up to that standard.
Watch part of his interview with CBS:
Responding to Shaub's resignation, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the Senate to resist any attempt by the Trump White House to use the vacancy at the OGE to further undercut ethical standards.
"The Senate is responsible for confirming the new head of this post-Watergate ethics watchdog," Warren said, "and every senator--regardless of party--should insist upon a tough, fiercely independent replacement who will follow Shaub's example of enforcing the law, even in the face of relentless pressure from the Trump administration to ignore ethics rules."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.