TPM Livewire - "Gov't Ethics Chief Warned Trump Cabinet Staffing Process Was 'Unprecedented'
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/office-government-ethics-trump-cabinet-staffing-process-unprecedented
By ESME CRIBB Published FEBRUARY 2, 2017, 7:03 PM EDT
The director of the Office of Government Ethics warned President Donald Trump against announcing cabinet appointments without first having them vetted by his office, according to records obtained by NBC News and The James Madison Project under a Freedom of Information request.
"I am not sure whether you are aware that announcing the cabinet without first coordinating with OGE is unprecedented," OGE Director Walter Shaub Jr. wrote in a November email to top Trump lawyer Don McGahn, as quoted in a report by NBC News.
He said OGE had "not been involved in the process as to any of these individuals" and warned Trump that his lack of coordination with the office created "unnecessary risk for both the President-elect and the prospective nominees."
Shaub wrote that OGE was in contact with Trump's campaign before the election, per the report, but said the process had "broken down" and that Trump aides ignored or rebuffed "several" attempts the office made to contact McGahn.
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