CLC's Kedric Payne on Trump's Brazen Removal of Nation’s Top Ethics Official 

In response to President Donald Trump’s firing of David Huitema, the head of the Office of Government Ethics, Kedric Payne, Vice President, General Counsel and Senior Director for Ethics at Campaign Legal Center and former Deputy Chief Counsel of the Office of Congressional Ethics, issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s decision to remove David Huitema just a few months after his confirmation to a five-year term is the latest move in a series of attacks directly aimed at removing accountability for the executive branch. 

"In response to a culture of corruption in President Nixon’s administration, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) was established to root out those who used public office for private gain. The OGE has the immense responsibility of reviewing the financial interests of thousands of public servants and making the public aware of their conflicts of interest — including presidential nominees for the most powerful positions in our government.  

"This term, President Trump has nominated the wealthiest presidential Cabinet in history, stacked with deep-pocketed business leaders weighed down by significant conflicts of interests, making the role of the OGE even more important. The American people need independent oversight to ensure that these officials are working for the public good, not personal gain.  

"The removal of the nation’s top ethics official is President Trump’s latest action to remove any meaningful way to hold members of his government accountable to any ethics laws."