Cummings Urges Gowdy to Hold Hearing with Outgoing OGE Director on Need for Stronger Ethics Regulations

Washington, D.C. (July 6, 2017) – Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Chairman Trey Gowdy urging him to convene a hearing with Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Director Walter M. Shaub, Jr. about the need for stronger ethics regulations.

Director Shaub—who announced his resignation today effective July 19, 2017— stated that “the current legal situation has made it clear that the ethics program needs to be stronger than it is.”

“The American people deserve to hear from this experienced ethics expert about the challenges he faced in his position and the reforms he believes would strengthen our program of government ethics,” Cummings wrote. “Strengthening and improving our ethics laws and government ethics program should be an issue with wide bipartisan support.”

Gowdy has previously stated that the “the Office of Government Ethics is squarely within our lanes” on the Oversight Committee.

Click here to read today’s letter.