A handful of House Democrats have proposed legislation that would create an office of inspector general for the White House, a response to what they say are worrying signs that President Trump’s White House will be riddled with scandal.
“We are less than a month into President Trump’s administration, yet the American people are on the cusp of witnessing some of the greatest scams in presidential history,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the lead sponsor of the bill.
“We have never seen such a level of collusion and corruption in the highest levels of our government, not even with Watergate in the Nixon administration or the Teapot Dome Scandal in the Harding administration,” she said. “With President Trump’s refusal to fully divest from his businesses, the Trump administration continues to be embroiled in a cloud of ethical and legal concerns.”
She said trust in the government remains at “record lows,” and said the kind of oversight provided by offices of inspector general in other federal agencies is needed for the White House.
“To restore that trust, we must insist on a strong ethical framework and invest in robust oversight of our federal government,” she said. “The American people deserve to know that the White House serves the nation, not the president’s businesses.”
DeLauro’s office said the new inspector general would “create an additional layer of review” at the White House, and give employees a “safe place to voice complaints.”
