Chaffetz searches for the real killer
by digby
House Republicans have found a subject for their opening review of conflicts of interest under Donald Trump: the federal official in charge of investigating conflicts of interest.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the head of the House Oversight Committee, criticized the director of the federal Office of Government Ethics on Thursday over his criticism of Donald Trump’s plan to address conflicts of interest. And he threatened to subpoena the official, Walter Shaub, if he refuses to participate in an official interview.
Isn't that special? Chaffetz is upset that the with Schaub for making pronouncements about ethics rules which is his job. And for no reason!
Earlier Thursday, Chaffetz had praised Trump’s newly announced ethics policy. “President-elect Trump’s obligation is to comply with the laws on the books. It appears he is going to great lengths to be as responsible as possible and comply with those requirements," he said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Trump rolled out an ethics policy that places his two adult sons and a longtime executive in charge of his company, as well as imposing a prohibition on new international deals and requiring a newly-appointed Trump Organization ethics staffer to review any domestic changes in the portfolio. The approach falls short of the total divestment that Shaub, ethics officials and many Democrats have called for.
This isn’t Chaffetz’s first time challenging Shaub. In late 2015, the Republican accused the Obama appointee of giving Hillary Clinton a pass on conflict-of-interest laws over speaking fees she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, were supposed to disclose.
Chaffetz plans to continue to persecute Hillary Clinton by the way.
