Exclusive: New US ethics czar starts vetting incoming Trump officials
Source: Reuters
January 5, 2025 7:02 AM EST Updated 9 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The top U.S. ethics official charged with preventing government workers' conflicts of interest is about to take the hotseat in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump's new Cabinet and other appointees declare their financial assets and prepare for their new jobs. "We are in touch with the transition team and working with them," said David Huitema recently when he sat down with Reuters for his first official interview since being sworn in for the job on Dec. 16. The inauguration will be Jan. 20.
Ethics experts say the director of the Office of Government Ethics, or OGE, is in the spotlight during any presidential transition, but Huitema faces special challenges ahead of Trump's second term, evaluating a myriad of business ties for Trump, his family and advisers.
Experts pointed to the short, rocky tenure of Walter Shaub, the last person to hold the job when Trump entered the White House, and noted that several of Trump's latest nominees have expressed disdain for the agencies they will run.
After nine years as ethics chief at the U.S. State Department, Huitema will spearhead the OGE's standard task of helping scrutinize dozens of new Senate-vetted nominees and thousands of political appointees for potential financial and personal conflicts. If he does his job well, chances are good Huitema could be fired fairly promptly, Shaub warned in an open letter last month. Huitema told Reuters he has faith in the intentions of most new entrants to government.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-us-ethics-czar-starts-vetting-incoming-trump-officials-2025-01-05/
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