Category Archives: ethics investigations
“Senate Confirmation Hearings to Begin Without All Background Checks”
NYT:
In a letter to Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the head of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter M. Shaub Jr., said on Friday that “the announced hearing schedule for several nominees who… Continue reading
“A House rules change you didn’t hear much about — and prosecutors won’t like”
Open Secrets:
The Office of Congressional Ethics was saved from the landfill — where House Republicans had tried to bury it — by public outcry and a couple of tweets from President-elect Donald Trump.
But few noticed a sentence… Continue reading
“Drain the Swamp: Conflicts of Interest, Lobbying, and Corruption Solutions to Restore Trust in Government that Works for Americans”
Release:
Today, the Center for American Progress released a new report to address the threats to representative self-government inherent in special interest lobbying, revolving door politics, corruption of public service, and lax ethics and contracting oversight, as well as the… Continue reading
Facing Public Outcry (Not “Rebuke” from Trump), House Caves on Gutting of Ethics Office
NYT:
House Republicans, facing a storm of bipartisan criticism, including from President-elect Donald J. Trump, moved early Tuesday afternoon to reverse their plan to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics. It was an embarrassing turnabout on the first… Continue reading
New Office of Congressional Ethics Cannot Communicate with Public in Any Way
Matt Viser highlights a wow detail.
Eric Lipton for the NYT:
The surprising vote came on the eve of the start of a new session of Congress, with emboldened Republicans ready to push an ambitious agenda on everything from health… Continue reading
‘House Republicans gut their own oversight”
Politico:
In one of their first moves of the new Congress, House Republicans have voted to gut their own independent ethics watchdog — a huge blow to cheerleaders of congressional oversight and one that dismantles major reforms adopted after the… Continue reading
“The Emoluments Clause: Its text, meaning, and application to Donald J. Trump”
Norm Eisen, Richard Painter, and Larry Tribe issue paper for Brookings.
“‘It’s Like a Powder Keg That’s Going to Explode’”
Politico talks to Norm Eisen and Richard Painter.
Norm Eisen & Richard Painter in, Brock Out, at Watchdog CREW
I take this as very good news for the competency and evenhandedness that we had seen from CREW in the pre-Brock era.
Richard Painter, GW Bush Ethics Czar, Files Hatch Act Complaint Against FBI
Painter in the NYT opinion section:
But it would be highly improper, and an abuse of power, for the F.B.I. to conduct such an investigation in the public eye, particularly on the eve of the election. It would be an… Continue reading
“Emails Renew Questions About Clinton Foundation and State Dept. Overlap”
NYT:
A new batch of State Department emails released Tuesday showed the close and sometimes overlapping interests between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department when Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state.
The documents raised new questions about whether… Continue reading
ELB Podcast Episode 14. Erwin Chemerinsky: Did Justice Ginsburg Cross the Line?
Did Justice Ginsburg go too far in her comments against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump? Should comments like Justice Ginsburg’s be protected by the First Amendment, and would they be grounds for recusal in a future Clinton v. Trump case?… Continue reading