What are you hiding, Justice Department?

Nov 18th, 2018 | By
Category: Notes and Comment Blog
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Here’s an issue to keep an eye on – Whitaker’s financial disclosure should have been made public long ago, and it hasn’t been.

Megan Keller at The Hill has more:

Watchdog group American Oversight is calling for Acting Attorney General Whitaker’s financial disclosures to be made public.

“Transparency is a critical component of the government ethics program,” wrote the group’s executive director, Austin Evers, in a letter on Friday to Emory Rounds in the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

Evers pointed to the financial disclosure provisions of the Ethics in Government Act, which he said “facilitate transparency regarding potential financial conflicts of interest” by requiring the public financial disclosure of senior government officials within 30 days of them assuming office, in most cases.

120 days at the outside. Whitaker was appointed chief of staff to Sessions on October 4, 2017. More than 120 days have elapsed since then.

“In light of his recent appointment as Acting Attorney General, American Oversight requested that the Department of Justice provide access to the two public financial disclosure reports that Mr. Whitaker was required to file as a new entrant and incumbent in a covered position.”

He wrote that the Department of Justice  “has not yet permitted inspection or furnished a copy of these public financial disclosure reports.”

Evers added that it is “quite troubling” that Whitaker’s records have not been made public sooner.

That seems like an understatement. It’s mandatory for Whitaker to file and it’s mandatory to make his info public – so what the hell is the Justice Department doing? Is Trump holding them hostage?

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