Office of Government Ethics: Bannons waiver 'problematic'
Source: The Hill
The waiver to President Trump’s ethics pledge issued to White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon is “problematic,” the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) told inquiring lawmakers on Tuesday.
The issues stem from a waiver, posted to the White House website on May 31, that is unsigned, undated and lists the waiver as being retroactive to Trump's first day in office on Jan. 20.
“The putative retroactivity is inconsistent with the very concept of a waiver, which is to take decisions regarding the appropriateness of an employee’s participation in covered matters out of the employee’s hands. By engaging in a prohibited matter at a time when the appointee does not possess a waiver, the appointee violates the rule,” OGE Director Walter Shaub wrote in a letter to four Democratic senators.
“Although the White House may later decide that such a violation does not warrant disciplinary action, the subsequent issuance of a waiver would not change the fact that a violation occurred,” he continued.
Read more: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/337830-office-of-government-ethics-bannons-waiver-problematic
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