Ethics office reviewing waivers

The federal ethics agency is reviewing every waiver of conflict-of-interest rules that President Donald Trump’s appointees have received. A memorandum from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics seeks documentation of waivers granted to appointees ordinarily required to recuse themselves from matters in which they or family members have a financial interest. Issued by the agency’s director, Walter Shaub, it specifies that all agencies and appointees, “including White House officials,” must comply with the notice, which covers appointees in the administrations of Trump and Barack Obama. Trump issued an ethics order in January, days after being inaugurated, requiring his appointees to recuse themselves for two years from matters involving former employers and clients. However, the White House and federal agencies can suspend that requirement for various reasons, including in cases where having an official’s expertise in a matter outweighs the potential for a conflict of interest.

Such waivers aren’t required to be disclosed under federal law. Seven Democratic senators, led by Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, wrote to Trump requesting that he make such waivers public after media accounts of former lobbyists and other officials in his administration receiving secret waivers. The White House in a February letter indicated it didn’t believe the authority of the ethics office extended to its appointees.