President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Dec. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Acting ethics chief takes backhanded swipe at Trump

President Donald Trump has reawakened one of his earliest nemeses: the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

In a blog post on Monday directed to the entire government workforce, the Trump-named acting director of the agency took a backhand swipe at the president for fueling suspicion in government.


“The good news is that most of you are carrying out the people’s business with honor and integrity,” wrote David Apol, the agency general counsel whom Trump tapped last summer to replace Walter Shaub. “You’re keeping your oath. Thank you. Remember what is at stake and take pride in your service.”

“On the other hand,” he added, “those 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.”

Apol said he was writing his post in response to a recent survey by Transparency International, which found that 44 percent of Americans believe “corruption is pervasive in the White House,” up from 36 percent during President Barack Obama’s final year in office. The report also found that Trump and officials in the new Republican administration were seen as more corrupt than members of Congress, business executives and local government.

Referring to the Transparency International report, Apol said, “The success of our Constitution, the success of our government, depends on the trust of the people that we serve. Today, our fellow citizens are suspicious of their government.”

The Office of Government Ethics was a largely obscure agency before Shaub started making headlines following the 2016 presidential election. He criticized Trump in January 2017 for a “wholly inadequate” decision to maintain an ownership stake in his private company while shifting day-to-day management to his two oldest sons.

Shaub, who stepped down last July before the end of his five-year term, has remained an outspoken critic of the Trump White House and continues to challenge the ethics office to take stronger stands against the administration.

Asked what he thought prompted Apol’s latest post, Shaub replied, “A bottle of Merlot, most likely.”

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.

