The Office of Government Ethics said Thursday that it disagrees with White House’s assertion that Kellyanne Conway did not commit any ethics violations when she promoted the Ivanka Trump’s fashion line.
In a letter to the top lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, OGE Director Walter Shuab said it is “clear” that the White House will not take disciplinary action against Conway, counselor to the president, for endorsing President Trump’s daughter’s private business during a February interview on “Fox and Friends.” While the ethics office cannot take disciplinary action against executive branch employees others than those who work for OGE, Shuab noted that the White House ignored his recommendation to do so.
OGE conducted a review of Conway’s statements at the request of House oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md. That investigation led to OGE to conclude that Conway’s actions were “a clear violation of the prohibition against misuse of position” and that “disciplinary action is warranted.”
“Of greater concern,” Shuab continued in his letter Thursday, is “the White House’s response includes assertions challenging the applicability of ethics rules and OGE’s authority to oversee the ethics program for the entire executive branch.”
Shuab was referring to Stefan Passantino, deputy counsel to the president, who, in a letter to OGE, said “many regulations promulgated by the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) do not apply to the employees of the Executive Office of the president.”
Shuab ended his letter, saying: “OGE disagrees with these assertions.”
Cummings sent a letter on Thursday to White House Counsel Donald McGahn requesting an explanation for the claims made by his deputy.
“The president’s staff need to follow ethics rules—not flout them,” Cummings wrote. “When they violate these rules, the President must impose discipline, not invent a legal fiction that these rules do not apply.”
