Sarbanes Statement on G.O.P. Retaliation Against Ethics Office for Challenging Trump's Conflicts of Interest and Ethical Lapses

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today after House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) criticized the head of the Office of Government Ethics for questioning President-elect Donald J. Trump’s failure to divest from his businesses and avoid potential conflicts of interest:

“Under Chairman Chaffetz’s leadership, the Oversight Committee has failed to conduct even the most superficial oversight of the incoming Administration’s potential conflicts of interest – not one hearing, not one interview, not one document secured. I find it shocking that instead of working to ensure that President-elect Trump’s administration adheres to basic ethical standards and puts the people’s interest first, Chairman Chaffetz has decided to focus his energy and attention on partisan attacks directed toward the Office of Government Ethics – a critical independent organization charged with holding our public servants to the highest ethical standards.

“This is a cynical attempt to intimidate those who have rightly questioned the gaping holes in President-elect Trump’s ‘plan’ to unwind his troubling web of business conflicts. The American people deserve better – they deserve a Congress capable and willing to engage in effective oversight of the Executive Branch, no matter the political party in power.”

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