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For Immediate Release
Contact: Phone: (202) 588-1000

Shaub Departure Places Integrity of Office of Government Ethics in Doubt

Statement of Craig Holman, Government Affairs Lobbyist, Public Citizen.

WASHINGTON

Note: Walter Shaub, director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics who has clashed with the Trump administration, resigned today. His term was to end in 2018.

Walter Shaub has been a powerful force as head of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) in pressing a very reluctant Trump administration into respecting federal ethics laws.

His resignation places the integrity of the OGE in doubt. President Donald Trump now has the opportunity to select the next head of the ethics agency. It is imperative that the reform community and the public demand that Trump preserve the integrity of OGE by appointing a new director who believes in, and is committed to, enforcing the ethics laws.

This is yet another chance for Trump to fulfill his pledge to drain the swamp, but based on what we've seen so far, we have very little confidence that he will do so.

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.

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