The Inspector General (IG) at the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that it is opening an investigation into potential ethics violations by 6 senior DOI political appointees after a complaint filed by Campaign Legal Center (CLC).
The complaint filed in February 2019, alleged that 6 of the DOI political appointees violated revolving door ethics prohibitions by regularly attending meetings with former employers or lobbying clients. Actions of the agency officials raise questions about whether these officials are working on behalf of the American people, or on behalf of the interests that used to pay their salary.
After receiving a letter notifying CLC of the investigation ethics counsel Delaney Marsco told CNN:
“We hope this investigation will answer whether these officials are working on behalf of the American people or on behalf of the interests that used to pay their salary.”
When reflecting on the recent history of the DOI and the actions of former Secretary Ryan Zinke, Marsco told the Washington Post:
“This is demonstrative of the failures at the very top of this administration to set an ethical tone. When people come to work for government, they’re supposed to work on behalf of the public. It’s a betrayal of the public trust when senior political appointees seem to give privileged access to their former employers or former clients.”
CLC continuously works to draw attention to any disregard for ethical obligations across government and demands that public servants be held accountable when they cross ethical lines.
