Trump's team reportedly opted out of an ethics course

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published 2 March 2017

President Trump's transition team apparently passed on having its senior staffers and Cabinet nominees take a training course in ethics, Politico reported Thursday. The course, which both the Obama and Bush transition teams took, was offered by an outside contractor and would have "provided training on leadership, ethics, and management":

The documents suggest the program could have better prepared officials for working within existing laws and executive orders, and provided guidance on how to navigate Senate confirmation for nominees and political appointees, how to deal with congressional and media scrutiny, and how to work with Congress and collaborate with agencies — some of the same issues that have become major stumbling blocks in the early days of the administration. [Politico]

A letter sent to bidders by the General Services Administration said the course's requirements did "not accurately reflect the current needs of the Presidential Transition Team"; Trump's team has also said it wanted to avoid spending all of its transition funds, and the course was expected to cost $1 million.

It's not entirely clear if the transition team offered any training alternatives. Politico reported "several political appointees at agencies said they received very little training, and the time between the election and Inauguration Day was hectic."