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Since Wilbur Ross was confirmed to his cabinet position as Commerce Secretary in February 2017, CLC has conducted vigorous oversight of his conduct, due to public concerns that his own financial interests conflict with the public interest.
CLC submitted a complaint to the Department of Justice on January 8, 2019 to investigate a failure to register as a lobbyist for a Chinese telecom company. Former Senator Joseph Lieberman had been advising the company, ZTE, on matters affecting U.S. policy, and are requesting that the Foreign Agent Registration Unit investigate.
H.R.1, "For the People Act" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This landmark legislation would: increase transparency of campaign spending; set up a system of small-donor matching funds for congressional candidates; revive the matching-fund system for presidential campaigns; expand conflict-of-interest laws; increase oversight of lobbyists; end partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts; establish nationwide automatic voter registration; and reinforce the Voting Rights Act.
This frequently asked questions sheet explains what Donald Trump Jr. did that was illegal according to campaign finance law.
CLC sent a letter on December 19, 2018 to Chairman Gowdy and Ranking Member Cummings about potential undisclosed conflicts of interest on the part of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who was paid $1.2 million from a single, untraceable source in the three years before joining the Department of Justice. Whitaker was executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), and was the organization's only full-time employee.
CLC wrote the Chair of the Committee on Competitiveness in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Chair on the Committee on Elections and Government Reform to support transparency and Michigan citizens' right to effective enforcement of the state's campaign finance and ethics laws. CLC opposes SB 1176 and SB 1250.
CLC submitted a FOIA Request to the Department of Commerce to obtain information regarding Secretary Wilbur Ross' travel. The request comes in light of at least four U.S Cabinet members and one agency administrator who have used military or chartered aircrafts for personal use at the taxpayers' expense.
CLC filed a complaint with the Department of Commerce's Inspector General calling for an investigation into whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated the criminal laws on conflicts of interest and false statements. The complaint provides a detailed roadmap for the Inspector General to determine whether Ross has violated the law, pointing to the fact that Ross has not accounted for 46 assets that he pledged to divest.
Today, CLC filed a supplemental complaint with the Office of the Inspector General concerning Secretary Ross's possible violations of the conflict of interest law. CLC sent an earlier letter to the Inspector General on the same issue on August 13, 2018.