Federal ethics chief who clashed with White House announces he will step down
Source: The Washington Post
By Rosalind S. Helderman and Matea Gold July 6 at 1:00 PM
The director of the independent Office of Government Ethics, who has been the federal governments most persistent critic of the Trump administrations approach to ethics, announced Thursday that he is resigning nearly six months before his term is scheduled to end.
Walter M. Shaub Jr. repeatedly challenged the Trump administration, publicly urging President Trump to fully divest from his business empire and chastising a senior Trump adviser for violating ethics rules. His outspokenness drew the ire of administration officials and earned him near-cult status among Trumps opponents. Fans started a Facebook page in his honor, and his name has occasionally appeared on posters at anti-Trump protests.
Shaub made no reference to those clashes in a resignation letter he submitted Thursday indicating he will step down July 19. Instead, he praised the work of federal ethics officials, pointedly noting their commitment to protecting the principle that public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain.
In an interview, Shaub said he was not leaving under pressure, adding that no one in the White House or the administration pushed him to leave. But the ethics chief said he felt that he had reached the limit of what he could achieve in this administration, within the current ethics framework.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-ethics-chief-who-clashed-with-white-house-announces-he-will-step-down/2017/07/06/4732c308-624c-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html
sandensea
(21,664 posts)As a man of integrity, he would have been a real thorn on their sides.
What's worse, Cheeto is now sure to replace him with some Tom Price-style grifter - or worse:
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,836 posts)and you can bang your head against a wall for only so long.
onetexan
(13,058 posts)The article does say "But the ethics chief said he felt that he had reached the limit of what he could achieve in this administration, within the current ethics framework."
He resigned out of his own sense of integrity and moral conscience.
woundedkarma
(498 posts)He was probably forced out in some way. Even if he says he isnt.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,600 posts)Rosalind Helderman is a political enterprise and investigations reporter for the Washington Post. Follow @PostRoz
Matea Gold is a national political reporter for The Washington Post, covering money and influence. Follow @mateagold
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)"ethics chief said he felt that he had reached the limit of what he could achieve in this administration, within the current ethics framework."
Ethics and morals are strangers in this sick administration.
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)Ethics are for normal people and trump is not required to be ethical
elleng
(131,107 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,286 posts)A lot of visibility in planned departure
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,600 posts)Link to tweet
He's landed on his feet:
Link to tweet
We're thrilled to welcome @waltshaub to CLC staff later this month as we fight for better ethics in government. http://bit.ly/2stSdhb
Link to tweet
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)foreign word to anyone in this mis-administration. Ethics are for democratic administrations, we ALL know that.
Ligyron
(7,639 posts)Thanks for finding this.
tclambert
(11,087 posts)What Trump said when Bogart asked to see his ethics in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
matt819
(10,749 posts)Ok, you're resigning. Great. And your reasons are sensible. But why stop where you did.
We know why you're resigning, and you know why you're resigning. This is the most unethical group of people ever. Say so.