WASHINGTON (AP) – A top House Republican is accusing the head of a federal ethics office of abusing his position for having the temerity to challenge President-elect Donald Trump’s ethics.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he wants answers from Walter Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, who has issued a scathing review of Trump’s plan to turn over control of his business to his sons. Shaub said in a speech Wednesday that the only way Trump could avoid a conflict of interest as president would be to divest from his business and have his assets placed in a blind trust.
Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, sent Shaub a sternly worded letter late Thursday requesting that Shaub sit for a transcribed interview. He said the interview would “help the committee understand how you perceive OGE’s role, among other things.”
“Your agency’s mission is to provide clear ethics guidance, not engage in public relations,” Chaffetz wrote.
Chaffetz’ letter cited a series of tweets by Shaub in November. In the tweets, Schaub congratulated Trump for agreeing to divest from his business – an agreement that Trump never made.