office of government ethics

With a president keeping a Cabinet-level official on the job despite a raft of scandals, ethics officials are spelling out why that might be a problem.

Walter Shaub, former head of the federal ethics office, says that unless compliance laws are toughened, American ethical norms will fade away. They will be replaced by new, lower standards, he fears.

The White House has put out the names of federal agency officials who sought dispensation from ethics rules. But critics question whether the list reflects the full scope of conflicts of interest.

The Office of Government Ethics "declines your request to suspend its ethics authority," its director tells the White House. The administration said compiling the waivers exceeded OGE's authority.