Ethics Chief Accuses Reince Priebus of Making ‘Explicit Threat’ to Silence His Complaints About Trump
Outgoing Director of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub Jr. accused White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of making a “fairly explicit threat” in an attempt to quell criticism of President Donald Trump’s refusal to divest from his businesses.
During a Sunday interview on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos recalled that Priebus had warned Shaub to “be careful” speaking out after Trump announced that he would not sell his assets or place them in a blind trust as recent presidents have done.
“Did White House pressure have anything to do with your decision to resign?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“I think the fairly explicit threat from Reince Priebus really is emblematic of how the interactions with the White House have been since the beginning of this administration,” Shaub explained, adding that he was not “pushed out.”
“I really always thought the ethics rules were strong enough to protect the integrity of the government’s operations,” Shaub continued. “My recent experiences have convinced me that they need strengthening. And frankly, they convinced me that that I achieved that all I could possibly achieve in this job.”
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