Category Archives: conflict of interest laws

“Presidential Transparency: Beyond Tax Returns”

June 22, 2017, 8:03 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Brennan Center: What would the president’s tax returns show about his financial ties to foreign powers or other ethical issues? Is there a better way than disclosure of tax returns to get at such information? New Brennan Center analysis explores… Continue reading

“Congressional Democrats to file emoluments lawsuit against Trump”

June 14, 2017, 7:27 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

WaPo: Nearly 200 Democratic members of Congress agreed to file a lawsuit Wednesday against President Trump alleging that by retaining interests in a global business empire he has violated constitutional restrictions on taking gifts and benefits from foreign leaders. The… Continue reading

“Trump is ushering in a kleptocracy. That’s why he is being sued”

June 14, 2017, 7:25 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Joshua Matz in The Guardian: The legal response to Trump’s emoluments clause violations has taken shape more slowly. And understandably so: until recently, most Americans had never heard of “emoluments”. Only in the past few months – aided by creative … Continue reading

“Trump Can Take Payments From Foreign Governments, U.S. Says”; DOJ Borrows From Prof’s Article without Citation

June 10, 2017, 8:31 amconflict of interest laws, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

Bloomberg on this DOJ brief: George Washington did it, so Donald Trump can too. That’s the Justice Department’s take on why the 45th president isn’t violating the U.S. Constitution by accepting payments for goods and services from foreign governments without… Continue reading

“White House Official Violated Law Banning Political Activity, Agency Says”

June 9, 2017, 11:16 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

NYT: Dan Scavino Jr., the White House director of social media, violated a federal law that prohibits political activity by government employees, the federal agency empowered to enforce the law has concluded, citing the tweet Mr. Scavino sent in April… Continue reading

“Trump White House lacks waivers for longtime lobbyists”

June 8, 2017, 3:49 pmconflict of interest laws, lobbyingRick Hasen

Politico: At least a half-dozen former lobbyists are working in President Donald Trump’s White House even though they haven’t received waivers from the administration’s ethics rules, raising questions about how much the rules do to prevent conflicts of interest.

“White House Waivers May Have Violated Ethics Rules”

June 2, 2017, 8:12 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigationsRick Hasen

NYT: The Trump administration may have skirted federal ethics rules by retroactively granting a blanket exemption that allows Stephen K. Bannon, the senior White House strategist, to communicate with editors at Breitbart News, where he was recently an executive. The… Continue reading

“White House Backs Down on Keeping Ethics Waivers Secret”

May 30, 2017, 8:00 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigations, lobbyingRick Hasen

Eric Lipton for the NYT: The White House unexpectedly backed down Friday in a confrontation with the government’s top ethics officer, announcing it will publicly disclose waivers that have been quietly handed out since January to let certain former lobbyists… Continue reading

“Here’s why modernizing the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) should be on top of the congressional to-do list”

May 24, 2017, 11:48 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Issue One report.

“Power struggle intensifies between White House and ethics office”

May 22, 2017, 5:43 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Matea Gold for WaPo: But in a May 17 letter, Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, questioned whether the Office of Government Ethics has legal jurisdiction to get information about waivers that have been granted. He… Continue reading

“White House Moves to Block Ethics Inquiry Into Ex-Lobbyists on Payroll”

May 22, 2017, 5:58 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Eric Lipton for the NYT: The Trump administration, in a significant escalation of its clash with the government’s top ethics watchdog, has moved to block an effort to disclose the names of former lobbyists who have been granted waivers to… Continue reading

“Brian Svoboda on the Ends of Congressional Ethics Enforcement”

May 22, 2017, 5:47 amconflict of interest laws, ethics investigations, legislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Important guest post from Brian Svoboda over at Bob Bauer’s blog. Bob’s intro: My colleague Brian Svoboda, an expert in congressional ethics, has written an insightful commentary on how we might think about the ends and design of effective congressional… Continue reading

“The Emoluments Lawsuit: The United States’ Position and the Defense of President Trump”

May 4, 2017, 7:13 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Bauer blogs.

“Top Ethics Officer Challenges Trump Over Secret Waivers for Ex-Lobbyists”

May 1, 2017, 5:39 pmconflict of interest laws, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: The federal government’s top ethics officer is challenging the Trump administration’s issuance of secret waivers that allow former lobbyists to handle matters they recently worked on, setting up a confrontation between the ethics office and President Trump. The move… Continue reading