Congress demands ethics disclosures from Trump White House

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McClatchy DC | McClatchyDC.com
Congress demands ethics disclosures from Trump White House

By Matthew Schofield
August 03, 2017 5:00 AM
WASHINGTON


As President Donald Trump’s administration endures controversy over its ties to profitable, private interests, Senate Judiciary Committee leaders are asking the White House to immediately make public how the White House has dealt with potential ethical conflicts.

The administration has been under fire for hiring former lobbyists to sensitive positions, after Trump vowed to “drain the swamp.” Michael Catanzaro, who lobbied for oil and gas interests, is Trump’s top energy aide. Shahira Knight, an investment firm lobbyist, is a special adviser to Trump for tax policy.

They are among 11 officials who got an ethics waiver from the Trump administration, a system that allows people to serve in government despite their ties to the industries or individuals that once employed them. The waivers can allow officials to deal with those who once employed or retained them.

Also on the list is senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, a political pollster who the waiver says can “participate in communications and meetings involving former clients.”

But are there more such disclosures that need to be made? That’s what the committee wants to know.

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