Not even the Office of Government Ethics has seen what’s in these folders.
Where did these folders go?
WASHINGTON ― Before he was sworn in, President Donald Trump disappointed ethics experts by refusing to sell his business empire. Instead, he presented stacks of manila folders that supposedly contained “some of the many documents” he’d signed to give control of his companies to his adult sons.
Reporters weren’t allowed to see those documents. And according to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), the Office of Government Ethics hasn’t seen them, either.
Cummings met on Monday with Walter Shaub, director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, along with Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Utah Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, and other committee Democrats to discuss OGE operations and other issues.
Reports suggest that the meeting was amicable. But Shaub also told committee members that the OGE “never received copies of the documents that then-President-Elect Trump brought to his press conference … regarding his conflicts of interest,” according to a Monday press release from Cummings’ office. “The Office of Government Ethics has received no new information since this press conference.”
Shaub nonetheless remained “willing and ready” to help Trump address his business conflicts, Cummings’ office noted. The OGE chief did not respond to a request for comment.
Norman Eisen, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer under former President Barack Obama, told The Huffington Post that the president is subject to disclosure rules under federal law that are within OGE’s jurisdiction. According to Eisen, ethics lawyers for president-elects and presidents have always worked closely with OGE on their finances during transitions and after assuming the presidency ― which includes sharing documents. “That does not seem to have happened here,” he said.
The Trump transition team did not respond to requests for comment.
More: Donald Trump Never Gave Business Documents To Ethics Office, Democrat Says
Why is Trump above the law? Because Republicans control Congress?
