President Trump granted lawyers, lobbyists ethics waivers to work for him

Fredreka Schouten | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials granted ethics waivers that allow nearly a dozen staffers sprinkled throughout government agencies to work on issues that could affect their former clients and employers, according to documents released Wednesday by the government’s top ethics watchdog.

Those receiving dispensation from ethics rules range from top-ranking officials who have broad oversight over health care issues to those involved in shaping tax and federal housing policy.

They include Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, who was authorized to participate in matters related to seven states she represented at her former health care consulting firm. Another high-ranking health official, Lance Leggitt, who serves as chief of staff at the Health and Human Services Department, can work on issues that affect his former lobbying clients.

Last week, the administration disclosed 14 waivers for top White House officials, including chief of staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.

At this pace, President Trump appears likely to exceed the waivers granted by his predecessor. President Barack Obama granted a total of 22 waivers to his ethics policies during the first full year of his administration, federal records show.

The Trump waivers were disclosed Wednesday by the Office of Government Ethics, which engaged in a public showdown with the White House over its demand that the administration provide details on whether it was enforcing Trump’s own ethics policies.

As part of his campaign pledge to “drain the swamp,” in Washington, Trump banned former lobbyists and others from working on issues that affected their former clients for two years.

"Today’s release of ethics waivers is an important step in shedding light on the dizzying array of conflicts of interest that President Trump has created through key appointments in his administration,” Austin Evers, executive director of the government accountability group American Oversight, said in a statement. “From the White House on down, it’s clear that ‘drain the swamp’ was nothing more than a campaign talking point."

Robert Weissman, president of the liberal-leaning watchdog group Public Citizen, said more potential conflicts could emerge if Trump picks up his hiring pace. As of Wednesday morning, Trump had formally nominated 80 people to the 558 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, according to data compiled by The Washington Post and the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

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Leggitt, who oversaw the health policy division of the law firm Baker Donelson, represented medical device makers, hospitals and other health care clients. The ethics waiver granted to him allows Leggitt to work on the issues that affect those former clients, noting his "unique blend of substantive health care experience." The waiver also notes that he has no personal financial interests in his former employer or clients.

In other cases, political appointees received permission to work on narrow issues.

At the Treasury Department, for instance, Deputy General Counsel Brian Callanan can participate in decisions about overhauling federal housing financing programs although his former law firm, Cooper & Kirk, represents a plaintiff in a case against the Federal Finance Housing Agency. Callanan did not participate in the litigation while at the firm, according to documents released Wednesday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price received permission to discuss health policy matters with state officials in Georgia, despite his wife’s position in the Georgia legislature. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, meanwhile, can work on matters related to the government of Australia although the former Marine Corps general received payments from the Australian government to help train military leaders there.

The Office of Government Ethics released more than two dozen waivers in total on Wednesday, some of which covered those granted during the final months of the Obama administration.

Contributing: Jayne O’Donnell