Trump removes Government Ethics Office director while promoting bribery
President Donald Trump has removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, an official tasked with ensuring government workers comply with conflict of interest and ethics requirements.
David Huitema was confirmed by the Senate in December for a five-year term. His dismissal was announced in one sentence on the OGE website, stating that the office had been notified that Trump is removing him as director. The website also said OGE will revert to an acting director: Shelley K. Finlayson, chief of staff and program counsel at the office.
It’s the latest in Trump’s efforts to remove people charged with oversight of his administration from the federal government. For example, his administration has also removed prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 cases. His removal of Huitema, who was confirmed in a party-line vote last year, is likely to draw criticism, especially from Democrats who have been sounding the alarm about Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s sweeping cuts across federal agencies. [Continue reading…]
President Donald Trump is set Monday to sign an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pause enforcing a nearly half-century-old law that prohibits American companies and foreign firms from bribing officials of foreign governments to obtain or retain business.
The pause in criminal prosecutions will be implemented to avoid putting U.S. businesses at an economic disadvantage to foreign competitors.
The Bloomberg news service first reported the planned executive order related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Bloomberg reported that Trump will tell Attorney General Pam Bondi to pause FCPA actions, and to review current and past actions related to the law, while preparing new guidelines for enforcement.
A White House official confirmed the report, telling CNBC, “A pause in enforcement to better understand how to streamline the FCPA to make sure it’s in line with economic interests and national security.”
The FCPA’s intent is in part to prevent American firms from fueling rampant public corruption that undermines the rule of law in many parts of the world. Over time, the FCPA’s rules have grown into bedrock principles of how American businesses operate overseas. [Continue reading…]