White House taps new acting ethics chief, elevating general counsel over chief of staff

Source: Washington Post

The White House has tapped David J. Apol, general counsel of the Office of Government Ethics, to serve as the agency's acting director and temporarily succeed Walter M. Shaub Jr., who in the last six months of his tenure emerged as an outspoken critic of Trump administration.

Apol, who has been OGE's general counsel since 2014, previously served as a counsel at the U.S. Trade Representative and in the Clinton White House. He will run the agency until President Trump nominates a permanent director, who will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

In selecting Apol, the White House elevated him over Shaub's chief of staff and designated successor, Shelley K. Finlayson, who had been serving in that role since Shaub stepped down Tuesday.

The move was viewed with concern by some government watchdog groups, who questioned why the administration did not leave Finlayson in place while it searched for a permanent director.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/21/white-house-taps-new-acting-ethics-chief-elevating-general-counsel-over-chief-of-staff/?utm_term=.330e587b0f51

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Where does this end??