Project on Government Oversight senior fellow and former U.S. Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub is not happy. He’s not happy at all.
Because, you see, despite the fact that Joe Biden came into office promising to clean up Donald Trump’s corruption, the new boss seems to be the same as the old boss. Perhaps even worse, in fact:
Although Biden has vowed not to hire his own family, in the first few months of his presidency, at least five children of his top aides have secured coveted jobs in the new administration https://t.co/JQ0HxPUFvY
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 18, 2021
Podcast: Steve Ricchetti is one of the president’s most trusted advisers. His brother, Jeff Ricchetti, is a lobbyist with big-name clients.
Ethical concerns surrounding the Ricchetti family present a challenge to President Biden's vow of accountability. https://t.co/LFstGwCVPk
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 18, 2021
How could Joe Biden betray Walter Shaub this way? How could he betray us this way?
Let’s play a game. See if you can guess which one of these special assistants at the treasury department has a daddy who’s one of the top aides to the president. See if you can guess the economic background of this privileged white boy. pic.twitter.com/kZCi1tHONH
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 16, 2021
Pathetic! The responses from people who spent 4 years complaining the other side was putting party over country are pathetic. They sound just like MAGAs. The jobs went to privileged kiddos with mommies & daddies who cozied up to POTUS. Nepotism is illegal. https://t.co/LumH4uSzSt
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
When little problems like this, which are so damn easy to avoid, crop up, it's a sign of much bigger rot. Because if you can't even do the easy things, you sure as hell can't do the hard things.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
The White House's defense that they had the minimum qualifications is total BS. The issue isn't whether they were qualified (some weren't). It's that a WH that promised diversity is giving these privileged white kids with connected mommies and daddies prime jobs over others!
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
And all the whataboutism from tweeps defending this total BS is just giving fuel to the next corrupt authoritarian like Trump who wins the White House to say "if even Biden was fine with nepotism in his administration, I can do anything."
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
So what if WH claims the parents weren't involved. I'm sure some wink-nudged this. But I'm even more sure they didn't HAVE TO be. The head of Presidential Personnel knew the score. If you believe this is a coincidence, I have a bridge to sell you. I have 3 bridges to sell you.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Do I sound bitter? HELL, YEAH, I'M BITTER! I'm the stupid moron who fell for his false promises. I wasn't naive enough to think he'd be a transformative president. He told us he'd be plain vanilla. But I thought there was momentum behind his ethics promises. Boy was I stupid.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Take his much touted "golden parachute payment" ban. Exciting, right? Turns out, it only applies if the payment is expressly for going into the UNITED STATES government. If the payor says "I'm giving this to you because you're going into govt," they can keep it!
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
In two decades of govt ethics, I've only ONCE seen a payment for going in to the U.S. govt. But I've seen plenty offered for going into govt. And the people who drafted this sham prohibition new no one would ever offer a payment expressly for going into the U.S. govt.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
And it only bans CASH or something substituting for an agreed upon payment. It does NOT ban an employer saying, we normally make folks forfeit unvested stock options, but we'll let you keep your millions in options because you're going in the US govt." THAT'S ALLOWED!
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Or howabout this? Biden's ethics pledge bans appointees working on matters involving former employers and clients. This month, the administration quietly issued guidance saying it doesn't apply to clients that paid for speeches!!!! Yellen, for instance, made $7 million that way.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
The guidance also quietly said it doesn't apply if a news channel paid you to appear on TV. You can work directly with them. But remember how made we were when the Trump admin gave waivers to former Fox News personalities? Welp, here we go again. https://t.co/QvGStfsU7h
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
And I don't love having a milk lobbyist running USDA or a "strategic advisor" (i.e., shadow lobbyist) running the State Department. Or the brother of Biden's top WH advisor lobbying the Executive Office of the President through a firm the Biden appointee founded.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
I miss the days when Obama appointed Norm Eisen to be his ethics Czar. Biden chose not to do that. Surely, he could have found someone like Norm–only this time maybe someone not white and male for a change–to champion ethics in this admin. But here we are with problems already.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
We've got a Raytheon board member leading DOD. We've got private equity fund people in the WH and at State. You've got corporate execs and big firm lawyers who represent corporations throughout. And personnel is policy.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Is he better than Trump? Yes. But all that says is that he's better than a straight up crook. That CANNOT be the standard for ethics. Is he doing some things right? Yes. Absolutely. He's doing great with the pandemic and he's starting to rebuild alliances. Thank goodness.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Is he better than Trump, though, Walter? Is he really?
But authoritarianism & corruption go hand in hand. If we don't clean up govt, we're setting the table for the next authoritarian. Speaking of which, Biden's administration is fighting tooth & nail to stop Congressional oversight—not just of this admin but of the Trump admin too!
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
I've never seen anything so feeble as the admin's lackluster support of HR1. Yes, odds are long for voting rights in the Senate & state legislatures. But a transformational leader could move that needle. Biden's ethics plan spoke extensively of legislation he said he'd "enact."
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
But he hasn't even proposed any!!! And the window almost certainly closes in November 2022. Yeah yeah, folks say it's only be five months give him time. I'd love to give him all the time in the world. But legislation takes time and the reality is that the window is closing.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
So, yeah. I'm disappointed. I'm angry. I supported this guy. I provided help to the campaign and the transition because I believed ethics was going to be a priority. Well, it isn't even in the top 100 things the administration cares about.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Well, we could’ve told you that! Actually, we did. You guys just didn’t listen.
Is it a relief we have Biden instead of Trump? Yes. A HUGE relief. But his knee-jerk defenders on Twitter are precisely why he feels no pressure whatsoever to do better on fighting for ethics in Washington and defending democracy against the existential threat to the republic.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Walter doesn’t sound relieved, though. Sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself that he’s relieved so he doesn’t literally spontaneously combust out of anger.
That's what's going down on the inside. Don't let this get round to the outside. I'd say I'm sorry for all the typos, but I'm not. Instead of reading excuses, whataboutisms and other Left-MAGA responses, I'm going outside to shout into the void.https://t.co/Ake67bscTQ
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 18, 2021
Have fun storming the castle!
Yeah. This seems…sub-optimal.🙁 I hate own goals.
— Kahoetek 🌊More Blue in '22 (@kahoetek) June 18, 2021
You’d think the Left’d be used to own goals by now. Oh well!
lol at you expecting otherwise https://t.co/A5UWf177rQ
— kaitlin, political fashion police (@thefactualprep) June 18, 2021
If you know the first thing about Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. then this is COMPLETELY unsurprising. https://t.co/05PoKYROJe
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) June 18, 2021
What, you thought someone who has used his office to enrich himself and his family through his entire political career wouldn't do that?
I mean if only people were there to warn you. https://t.co/ilVskUZpyF
— Beach bunnygirl (@UsagikoNat) June 18, 2021
If only.
I almost feel bad for them. https://t.co/PjzxHqWyzN
— Something Fishie (@somethingfishie) June 18, 2021
But not really.
HAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAH https://t.co/TIKgLw5uE1
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 18, 2021
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Turns out the mainstream media lied to Americans, and it was Biden and his cronies who were corrupt https://t.co/X08wUGETQI
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 18, 2021
We love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning.
Libs Owned Yet Again https://t.co/wagMN2585O
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 18, 2021
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