The former ethics chief of President Obama warned that the White House staff running through “the revolving doors from influence-peddling activities” is bad for the country.
Former ethics director Walter Shaub weighed in on the Biden administration following the announcement that Michael Czin, a Biden-aligned consultant firm, SKDK would be joining the White House as a “senior advisor” position. Czin has been the latest hire at SKDK, which was founded by Anita Dunn. Dunn recently resigned from the Biden administration and was able to avoid disclosing her personal finances and business interests.
Shaub said in a recent email that personnel policy is problematic. He also stated that it is when personnel is slipping through the revolving doors from influence-peddling organizations. It’s even more concerning when they continue to work outside their jobs in those types of outfits.
Shaub said that he hopes he won’t follow the path of Anita Dunn coming in as a special government employee and accepting a salary lower than the threshold that triggers a requirement to file a Public Financial Disclosure Report.
Shaub had previously tweeted Wednesday that Czin’s leave of absence from SKDK “doesn’t get him out” of filing a public Disclosure. However, he noted that “coming aboard as a special employee of the government and setting his salary below the threshold at what public disclosure would apply might do it.” The ex-White House ethics chief wrote that the “leave of absence status” may indicate that this is happening. Shaub concluded, “Yuck!”
Shaub has been critical of the Biden administration’s ethics record before. Shaub claimed earlier this year that the Biden administration sent a “f—ing message” to ethics experts by hiring so many relatives of high-ranking White House officials like Jake Sullivan, Steve Ricchetti, and Jen Psaki.
Shaub points out how a lot of us worked very hard to tee up him to restore ethics to the government and believed in the promises. He called the string family-related hirings “a real “f*** you” to us -and to government ethics.”
Shaub also criticized the White House’s handling of Hunter Biden’s art sales. He said that the White House brokering the deal with Biden was “absolutely unacceptable.”
Shaub stated that an artist who has never been juried into a community center art fair will not suddenly be selling art in New York for half a billion dollars. Let’s not forget the enormity of this… $6.5 million goes to the president’s child for being his son and not because he is an artist. I find that absolutely shocking.
