President Donald Trump on Monday attracted intense objection over his dismissal of David Huitema, the pinnacle of the united state Office of Government Ethics that would definitely only officially been in the role for weeks.
Donald Ok. Sherman, the chief supervisor of the guard canine staff Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, claimed in a statement that “by firing the head of the Office of Government Ethics, President Trump is continuing his purge of any independent officials tasked with holding him and his administration accountable to the law and ethical standards.”
“This follows his firing of the head of the Office of Special Counsel and 17 inspectors general,” Sherman proceeded. “Together, these actions will streamline any efforts he and his administration make to personally profit, install loyalists and avoid oversight of corruption and waste.”
“By all indications, Trump is planning to run a lawless administration and these unprecedented moves are an alarming first step to put those plans into action,” Sherman included.
Caitlin MacNeal, from the Project on Government Oversight, outlined Huitema’s ouster from the unbiased firm (which, per government websites, “provides oversight, policy, and guidance to the Executive Branch regarding ethics laws and policies”) as merely “the latest in a string of firings directly aimed at the accountability offices in the executive branch,” reported CBS News.
“The firings remove our systems of checks and balances at a time when the wealthiest man in the world is operating inside the government with vast and unprecedented financial conflicts of interest,” MacNeal claimed, describing know-how billionaire Elon Musk and his operate main the spending-slashing, non-official Department of Government Efficiency in Trump’s White House.
“So it’s particularly alarming that the administration has fired the official in specifically charged with policing ethics,” MacNeal included.
Rep Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.), alternatively, requested on social media websites: “Are you seeing a pattern? Trump is systematically removing every form of accountability: Inspectors General, prosecutors and FBI agents, and now the Director of the Office of Government Ethics. Paving the way for Lyin’ Kash Patel to become his hatchet man.”
Other doubters on social media websites concurred:
SPLITTING: President Trump merely discharged the pinnacle of the Office ofGovernment Ethics By all indicators, Trump is making ready to run a felony administration and these extraordinary steps are a worrying main step to put these methods proper into exercise.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) February 10, 2025
