Tag: ethics investigation

Acting Defense Chief Shanahan Probed For Enriching Former Employer Boeing

On Wednesday, POLITICO reported that Patrick Shanahan, President Donald Trump’s acting Secretary of Defense, is under investigation by the inspector general of the Pentagon for allegedly using his office to enrich aerospace giant Boeing, his former employer of 31 years:

“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules,” DoD IG spokesperson Dwrena Allen said.

“In his recent Senate Armed Services Committee testimony, Acting Secretary Shanahan stated that he supported an investigation into these allegations,” she said. “We have informed him that we have initiated this investigation.”

View the complete March 20 article by Matthew Chapman on the National Memo website here.

A swamp monster is running the EPA

The following commentary from its Editorial Board was posted on the Washington Post website April 2, 2018:

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is facing scrutiny for a condo rental agreement linked to a fossil fuel lobbyist in D.C. (Reuters)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Administrator Scott Pruitt’s ethics were already in question after he wasted taxpayer money on expensive plane tickets and hotels, a story he tried to rebut, misleadingly, on conservative talk radio last week. Then, last Thursday, ABC News reportedthat he benefited from a sweetheart deal that allowed him to live in a high-rent area of Washington while paying a relative pittance. His landlord? The wife of an energy and environmental lobbyist.

EPA officials tried to bury the story in official releases from ethics officers in the general counsel’s office, arguing that Mr. Pruitt paid rent for his single bedroom in a Capitol Hill condo. According to Bloomberg News, these officials did not review the administrator’s living arrangements in advance. Their after-the-fact defense of their boss is unpersuasive. Continue reading “A swamp monster is running the EPA”