According to an announcement made by the agency on Monday, President Trump has reportedly now fired the director of the Office of Government Ethics.
It was announced on the office’s website that it had been informed by President Trump that David Huitema, who had been nominated by President Biden, would be removed from his position.
In November of last year, the Senate gave its approval for him to serve a term that would run for five years, and he began his official duties in December.
During this interim period, Shelley Finlayson will take up the role of acting director of the operation. Since the year 2006, she has been working at the office.
An immediate response from the White House was not received in response to a request for comment.
The responsibilities of the Office of Government Ethics include the interpretation of ethics laws and regulations, the training of officials in the executive branch to adhere to ethics laws, and the monitoring of compliance with those standards.
Watchdogs and Democrats have voiced their specific concern on the possibility of conflicts of interest involving Elon Musk, a billionaire who is an ally of Trump and who has been leading attempts to reduce funding for the government.
Over the course of the past decade, Musk has been the chief executive officer of Tesla and the founder of SpaceX, both of which have been awarded a minimum of $15.4 billion in government contracts.
In the event that it was proven that there was a potential conflict, Trump has stated that Musk would not be permitted to be in close proximity to a certain area of the government; however, it is not apparent what specific guardrails are in place.
During the first term of his presidency, Trump was subjected to attention for his desire to distance himself from his business, as well as for Kellyanne Conway’s promotion of Trump family products while she was serving in an official capacity.
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