July 28, 2017 •
Bill Introduced in U.S. House Would Require Cause for Firing OGE Director
On July 27, a bill was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives to prevent the firing of a director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) without cause.
House Resolution 3462, The Office of Government Ethics Independence Act, would amend federal law by clarifying that the director of the OGE may only be removed for the neglect of duty or instances of wrongdoing. It would also require the president to provide Congress with 30 days advanced notice of his or her intent to fire the director and to inform Congress as to the reasons for the action taken.
On July 19, Walter Shaub Jr. resigned as director from the OGE. Shaub, in his position as the director, had repeatedly questioned various possible conflicts of interests of President Trump and of members of the president’s White House staff. The current acting director of the OGE is David Apol, who was selected by President Trump to replace Shaub until a permanent director is announced and subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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