Draining the Swamp

[homersapien 10,922]

President Trump has granted at least 16 members of his White House staff waivers to work in areas in which they previously lobbied or to interact with colleagues from their past jobs, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The number of waivers granted is more than five times the number issued in the first four months of former President Barack Obama's administration. 

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/335876-trump-granted-16-white-house-staffers-ethics-waivers?rnd=1496284423

 

[quietfan 233]

8 hours ago, homersapien said:

The number of waivers granted is more than five times the number issued in the first four months of former President Barack Obama's administration. 

Maybe Trump figures he needs to get them all in now because he won't be in office much longer than four months?  

[homersapien 10,922]

2 hours ago, quietfan said:

Maybe Trump figures he needs to get them all in now because he won't be in office much longer than four months?  

The number of waivers rose during the Obama administration because Mr. Obama imposed new ethics rules, such as a ban on hiring lobbyists, which could be avoided only with a waiver.

With these broad restrictions in place for the first time, the Obama administration issued a relatively small number of waivers. Over Mr. Obama’s eight years in office, about 16 waivers were granted for White House officials and a total of about 70 across the entire federal government. Just three of those waivers for White House staff members came in the first four months of his administration.

In most instances, the officials who received waivers under Mr. Obama argued that the overlap between their government jobs and their previous private-sector work was minor, or that allowing it was in the public interest.

For example, the three waivers issued in the first months of the Obama administration — including one given to Valerie Jarrett, who served as senior adviser to the president — each involved staff members who previously worked for nonprofit groups but who joined the administration working in related policy areas.

Among them was like Jocelyn Frye, who was the director of policy and projects in Michelle Obama’s office of the first lady. Ms. Frye, who had previously served as general counsel at the nonprofit National Partnership for Women Families, worked on similar issues with Ms. Obama.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/us/politics/lobbyist-ethics-waivers-trump-administration.html?_r=0