After clashing with President Donald Trump’s administration for several months, the director of the Office of Government Ethics has officially resigned, The New York Timesreports. Originally appointed by former President Barack Obama, Walter Shaub was towards the end of his five-year term when he decided to leave without pressure from his superiors. According to Teen Vogue, Shaub tweeted a picture of his resignation letter to share the news with the public.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) July 6, 2017
“The great privilege and honor of my career has been to lead OGE’s staff and the community of ethics officials in the federal executive branch,” Shaub’s letter read. “They are committed to protecting the principle that public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain.”
In an interview with the Times, Shaub said, “There isn’t much more I could accomplish at the Office of Government Ethics, given the current situation. OGE’s recent experiences have made it clear that the ethics program needs to be strengthened.”
According to the OGE’s website, it “provides overall leadership and oversight of the executive branch ethics program designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest.” Instead of working with the office, Shaub has accepted a job offer from nonpartisan advocacy group Campaign Legal Center, which he believes will let him support ethical change freely.
Shaub’s term was due to finish in January, but because of how strongly people are reacting to his early resignation from what's seen as a little-known department, a closer eye is focusing on the morality of Trump’s politics. The OGE works with people beginning in the government on how to avoid conflicts, and given Trump’s…interesting first months in office, its employees have probably had a difficult time lately.
Shaub has definitely pushed Trump’s buttons over the last few months, criticizing the president’s lack of separation between himself and his private businesses, among other details. Although his name may not be familiar, Shaub is totally a strong but quiet resistor to Trump’s administration.
“He is leaving because he has done what he can in pushing back on Trump and his administration’s many ethics violations,” Norman Eisen of the research group Brookings Institute told Teen Vogue. “In his own quiet nonpartisan way, he is resigning in protest. He will now carry on the fight from the outside watchdog community.”
Walter Shaub, you may be my new political hero for staying under the radar but sticking to what’s most important to you. Although his successor has yet to be announced, Trump's pick for the position will likely be quite different from Shaub.
