The acting director of the Office of Government Ethics is defending federal employees against a survey that found a drop in trust due to the perception of government corruption.

Acting Director David Apol described Monday how public servants can restore public trust by faithfully executing their jobs as the "custodians of the people's government" in a post on the OGE website.

"We build their trust by doing our jobs, faithfully. We build their trust by acting solely for the public good and eliminating conflicts of interests. We build their trust by telling the truth," he wrote. ADVERTISEMENT

"The good news is that most of you are carrying out the people’s business with honor and integrity. You’re keeping your oath. Thank you. Remember what is at stake and take pride in your service," he continued.

His remarks come after Transparency International released its U.S. Corruption Barometer 2017, a report carried out between October and November of last year.

The report found that "the US government and some key institutions of power still have a long way to go to win back citizens’ trust."

Nearly 60 percent of those polled said they believe the level of corruption increased over the past 12 months under the Trump administration, "up from around a third who said the same in January 2016" under then-President Obama.

Apol, who referred to the survey in his post, condemned any serving within the government who are conducting themselves in a way that undermines the public's trust.

"[T]hose who are doing things that undermine the public’s trust, even if they don’t violate a rule, need to stop. Nothing you could gain economically or politically could possibly justify putting our democracy at risk. These are perilous times," he continued.

"So, keep your oath and earn the public’s trust. We, as public servants, hold our positions of trust 'for such a time as this,' " he concluded.

Apol’s predecessor at the ethics office, Walter Shaub Walter Michael ShaubTrump breaks with precedent on second night of convention Democratic senators call for ethics review into Ivanka Trump's Goya tweet Chris Cuomo blasts Trump over photo with Goya products: 'In the middle of a pandemic, they're selling beans' MORE, resigned in July, saying President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE has been a “very serious disappointment” from an ethics standpoint.

"I have only got really good things to say about the ethics program that President Bush ran and the ethics program that President Obama ran,” Shaub said at the time.