US ethics chief steps down following clashes with White House
Walter Shaub fires parting shot at Donald Trump with call to strengthen rules
![170707-walter-shaub.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w9cJcRSJhNLsM9dGFudCYn-1280-80.jpg)
Walter Shaub, director of the independent US Office of Government Ethics, has resigned six months before his term in office was due to expire.
"There isn't much more I could accomplish at the Office of Government Ethics, given the current situation," Shaub said.
According to NPR, "the move follows months of clashes with the White House over issues such as President [Donald] Trump's refusal to divest his businesses and the administration's delay in disclosing ethics waivers for appointees".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
His departure "is likely to spur anxiety among ethics officials and critics of the president who viewed him as one of the few federal officials who had been willing to speak out", the Washington Post reports.
In his resignation letter, Shaub said that the conduct of the current administration had made it "clear that we need to strengthen the ethics program".
The Office of Government Ethics sets guidelines intended to prevent conflicts of interest for government employees, "but has limited means to enforce federal ethics rules, aside from publicly raising questions about possible conflicts", the Wall Street Journal says.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - February 9, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - personal data, trans athletes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tit-for-tat cartoons about Trump's trade war
Cartoons Artists take on Canada, Mexico, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The catastrophic conflict looming in the heart of Africa
In the Spotlight Showdown between DR Congo and Rwanda have been a long time coming
By The Week UK Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published