From $31,000 dining sets to costly flights: Ethical dilemmas of the Trump administration

Jessica Estepa | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Carson on $31K dining set: I left it to my wife Housing Secretary Ben Carson, under fire after his office ordered a $31,000 dining set, told a House panel Tuesday that he left furniture purchasing decisions to his wife. Carson said he canceled the table as soon as he learned about it. (March 20)

Ben Carson will never get to use the $31,000 dining set ordered for his office, but its purchase continues to haunt him.

But while the Housing and Urban Development secretary's drama plays out in the news, it's far from the first time that a Trump administration official has dealt with criticisms about whether their behavior has been ethical — often leading to rumors that the official will lose his job over the scandal.

Ben Carson and the dining set

The purchase of a new dining set came to light after several news outlets reviewed an agency document. The department spent $31,561 on a new table, chairs and hutch, after declaring that the old one wasn't repairable.

Federal law dictates that only $5,000 can be spent on refurnishing a Cabinet secretary's offices.

While HUD initially said that Carson wasn't involved in the decision to buy the table, documents showed that wasn't the case. And when he was asked about it during a House Appropriations subcommittee meeting, he said he left the decision to his wife.

The order of the furniture has been rescinded.

CNN reported that the set was sold by Hickory Chair, which included a custom mahogany table top and base pedestals.

Tom Price's travels

The former Health and Human Services secretary paid the price for his costly travels. Over the course of four months in 2017, Price took 26 chartered flights, racking up about $400,000 in costs. He also racked up around $500,000 in military flight costs for international travel.

After those costs came to light, Price apologized and then resigned from his position.

David Shulkin's tickets

But while Price is the only member of President Trump's Cabinet to resign over travel costs on the job, he's one of many whose travels have been scrutinized.

Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, an Obama administration holdover, improperly accepted Wimbledon tickets and airfare for his wife during a European trip last year.

Shulkin has apologized and continues to hold on to his job.

Scott Pruitt's flights and rent

The EPA administrator has drawn criticism for his insistence on taking first class with his security detail.

According to Pruitt, it was because of a "legitimate security issue."

Scott Pruitt explains first class travels Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt defends his use of first class travel.

Whatever the reason, Pruitt reportedly spent more than $105,000 on first class travel alone in his first year at EPA. He also racked up about $58,000 on military and chartered flights.

Pruitt said earlier this month that he'd start to fly coach.

Pruitt was also under fire for spending $25,000 on a soundproof booth in his office to prevent eavesdropping on his calls.

Additionally, the EPA administrator was scrutinized for a rent deal he made with the wife of an energy lobbyist. He paid $50 a night for a room on Capitol Hill, something that the EPA ethics office deemed acceptable.

Steven Mnuchin's expenses

But perhaps the most costly travels come from the Treasury Secretary. Per a new report released by a watchdog group, Mnuchin managed to rack up $1 million in flight costs that could have been taken through commercial airlines.

The group requested documents about Mnuchin's travels after the secretary was criticized last year for taking a military jet to Fort Knox, Ky., with his wife, Louise Linton, that coincided with last year's total solar eclipse in August.

Jared Kushner's (lack of) disclosure

When Jared Kushner decided to work for his father-in-law, he was required to make financial disclosures in order to join the Trump administration. The disclosures are meant to make sure that there weren't conflicts of interest.

But he ended up omitting some of those assets.

When he filed his revised disclosures last summer, it included more than 70 assets that were worth at least $10 million.

The Hatch Act violations

A few Trump administration officials have been hit with Hatch Act violations, which prohibits members of the executive branch from engaging in some forms of political activity.

The officials who have been reprimanded:

• Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, for taking sides during TV interviews about Alabama's special election for Senate and for telling viewers to go out and buy clothes from Ivanka Trump's clothing line

• UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who retweeted a political endorsement from Trump on an official account

• White House social media director Dan Scavino, who tweeted that Trump's base should defeat a lawmaker in a primary. At the time of the tweet, his account featured a photo of him in the Oval Office and a photo of President Trump

Bonus: The Interior Department's costly doors

This one's a bonus because replacing the three sets of doors at the Interior Department's headquarters aren't exactly up to Secretary Ryan Zinke; the refurbishing is part of a decade-long modernization of the building.

The $138,670 contract for demolition, installation, materials for the fiberglass doors and labor has received attention in the press.