xpost: Elizabeth Warren: Trumps nominees are putting us all at risk by ignoring ethics laws
By Elizabeth Warren
President-elect Donald Trump is selecting nominees to run his government. Its no secret that I have deep reservations about the policy views of many of these nominees. I will vote against some of them.
But before we can debate and vote on whether these nominees policy positions make them suitable to run important parts of our government, it is critical that each nominee follows basic ethics rules to ensure that they will act for the benefit of all the American people and not simply to boost their bank accounts.
The Republican-led Congress wants to brush off these ethics requirements as a mere inconvenience. Failing that, they are willing to intimidate the public servants charged with implementing the rules. If they succeed, the Republican-led Congress will erode public confidence in our democracy and set the new administration up for scandal and failure.
It is illegal for any Cabinet member to participate in a government matter that will affect his own financial interest or those of his or her family members, or any organization with whom he or she is affiliated. The reason this law exists is obvious: Without it, federal officials might be tempted to pursue their own interests rather than those of the American people, throwing into question the motives behind every move they make.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/19/the-gop-is-putting-the-country-in-danger-by-ignoring-ethical-rules-for-appointees/?utm_term=.724965cd61a7