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posted by martyb on Monday May 29 2017, @01:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the Drain-The-Swamp dept.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/35508058/ethics-watchdog-has-no-intention-of-backing-down-against-white-house

http://www.pressherald.com/2017/05/22/trump-team-continues-battle-with-ethics-office/

There is a federal law saying that lobbyists need to be granted a waiver to work in the administration. This is overseen by the Office of Government Ethics. Historically, for both Democrat and Republican administrations, the White House has complied with providing these waivers.

The Trump Administration has not provided these waivers. Walter Shaub, the director of the OGE, has set a deadline of June 1 to provide these documents. The White House Council has provided instructions to employees to not provide this documentation, claiming providing them would be an undue administrative burden. This raises the question of why it would be an undue burden: due to the number of people provided waivers or the extent of the waivers granted.

Editorializing a bit, it is both heartening that the head of the office for Ethics is willing to proverbially "walk the talk" by putting his own position at risk to do the right thing, as well as depressing that such behavior is the laudable exception rather than the accepted norm.


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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday May 29 2017, @03:21PM (10 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Monday May 29 2017, @03:21PM (#517168) Journal

    Probably! Now aren't you glad he kept Hillary out of the office: she could have been worse, but SHE would have gotten away with it (ie: Bush).

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @03:44PM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @03:44PM (#517176)

    > Now aren't you glad he kept Hillary out of the office: she could have been worse,

    In the same way that obama could have been worse, but wasn't.
    But whatever you have to tell yourself to think you aren't the moron. You do you!

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday May 29 2017, @06:05PM (5 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday May 29 2017, @06:05PM (#517245) Journal

      We all understand - your partisanship won't allow you to understand what a low life criminal Hillary is. She, and her "foundation" collected billions of dollars, by selling influence. Partisan chumps tell us "You have no proof!" OJ Simpson got away with that - "You have no proof!" Al Capone got away with it for a long time, until the IRS went after him for taxes. A lot of people get away with it. But, you wanted to elect someone to the highest office in the nation whose major qualification was hiding the proof. And - YOU call Gaark a moron? Whatever . . .

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:39PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:39PM (#517284)

        Sure, HRC is a typical (in today's terms) corrupt politician selling out the US, but Trump is doing the same thing and worse! At the very least HRC would have had a desire to keep the status quo while doing her corrupt backroom dealings, but Trump and the GOP are hell bent on literally destroying the US while giving tax breaks to the ultra rich.

        The ONLY silver lining to Trump is that he is so bad that it might actually spur some political unity to get actual political reforms done.

        People like you are grasping at straws to keep from having to deal with how badly the conservative base fucked up. No need to acknowledge the serious racism problem in your party, "he just says what everyone is thinking" har har. No need to face the fact that tax cuts for the rich do not trickle down, or that welfare programs are necessary and beneficial to society. Nope, "drain the swamp" by defunding the government, destroy the EPA, push through the worst legislation ever, start a war on the 1st amendment, normalize hatred and violence.

        But Hillary! But Obama! But you're all fucking idiots if you haven't distanced yourself from Trump and the groups that promote his mindset. Let's see what brilliant rationale you will use to escape this, or will it just be more finger pointing?

        • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:13AM

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday May 30 2017, @02:13AM (#517420) Journal

          Ahhh - so we agree that corruption in Wasington is the status quo. We just disagree on just how evil the actors are.

          And, I go back to my position on the relative merits of HRC and Trump during the campaign. HRC is a practiced politician, with an entire party's support. She knows how to play the game. As president, there would have been no stopping any part of her agenda. TPP was going through, for starters, and she probably would have pushed through one or more new "trade agreements", in effect, selling us, the citizens, to the corporations. Trump shot down TPP.

          That one act alone, demonstrates that he is not part of the establishment.

          Trump is a damned fool, many times over. But, the fool isn't half as evil as HRC.

          Oh, racism. You're telling me that the other side is not blatantly racist? That they don't even try to hide it? All these moronic "safe spaces" on college campuses, today, for starters.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af9aLBDN3M4 [youtube.com]

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:33PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:33PM (#517348)

        I prefer my president to be sane.

        • (Score: 2) by SpockLogic on Monday May 29 2017, @10:59PM

          by SpockLogic (2762) on Monday May 29 2017, @10:59PM (#517360)

          A sane president who isn't a malignant narcissist would be even better.

          Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression, and sadism. Often grandiose, and always ready to raise hostility levels, the malignant narcissist undermines organizations in which they are involved, and dehumanizes the people with whom they associate.

          --
          Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:57PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:57PM (#517380)

        We all understand - your partisanship won't allow you to understand what a low life criminal Hillary is.

        Oh look, the mental black hole calling the kettle black.

        Partisan chumps tell us "You have no proof!"

        So the proof is the fact that there is no proof?
        You know what else I know? That you are a kiddie-diddler. We've all seen you admit to it.

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday May 29 2017, @06:42PM (1 child)

      by kaszz (4211) on Monday May 29 2017, @06:42PM (#517261) Journal

      During the Wikileaks debacle he were proven to lie officially so that comparison seems flawed. Not a good idea to lie about matters where the truth is revealed a few days later.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:59PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @11:59PM (#517381)

        I'm sure that made sense in your head.
        Or maybe it didn't, but writing it made you feel better didn't it?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:42PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @07:42PM (#517286)

    I'm pretty sure Trump is the idiot fall guy, they are using him to rubber stamp horrible legislation and destroy every part of the government that impedes the greedy desires of corporate US. So no, HRC might have gotten away with the standard corruption we've all become so familiar with, but it is unlikely she would have been as detrimental to the country as a whole. Trump has just started, so we won't see the after effects of his actions for a little while to come.