All articles tagged with #ethics concerns
The Air Force plans to retrofit and deliver the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-style jet for use as Air Force One by summer 2026, potentially replacing aging jets, amid ethics and cost concerns raised by critics; Trump defends accepting the gift.
Maryland State Senator Ron Watson resigned from his role as interim senior adviser to the Prince George’s County schools amid ethics concerns and legal restrictions on holding secondary government jobs, after the ethics committee denied his exemption request.
An anonymous donor has contributed $130 million to the US Pentagon to help pay military personnel during the ongoing government shutdown, raising ethical questions about the source and use of such funds, especially given the lack of transparency and the shutdown's status as one of the longest in US history.
President Trump hosted a dinner for wealthy donors to raise funds for a $200 million White House ballroom addition, sparking ethical concerns about potential conflicts of interest and access for contributors.
The Trump family's American Bitcoin, a new cryptocurrency company co-founded by Eric Trump, made its stock market debut, raising ethical concerns about potential conflicts of interest as the family benefits financially from crypto ventures amid a regulatory environment that appears to favor the industry.
The Trump Organization is launching a Trump-branded smartphone and mobile service, aiming to capitalize on Donald Trump's name, amid ethics concerns and a competitive US telecom market dominated by major players like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
Ethics experts are concerned about potential conflicts of interest with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy leading a new advisory Department of Government Efficiency under President-elect Donald Trump. Their roles, described as "outside of government," may exempt them from financial disclosure rules, raising alarms about transparency and the influence of their business interests on government decisions. While Musk has promised transparency, experts stress the need for clarity on their roles and potential impacts on federal regulations and contracts.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has spent approximately $210,000 of her U.S. Senate office budget on private charter flights for herself and her staff since 2020, raising questions about her prioritization of expenses. This spending, which far exceeds that of her home-state colleague, has drawn scrutiny for its impact on her office's budget and the optics of using taxpayer money for private travel. Sinema's frequent use of private flights, including for routine trips within Arizona, has sparked concerns about her management of taxpayer dollars and may become a political liability as she faces potential re-election in 2024.
President Biden's aides and billionaire David Rubenstein have not disclosed whether Biden is paying for his six-day holiday stay at Rubenstein's Nantucket mansion, raising ethics concerns. Biden has previously stayed at Rubenstein's home for Thanksgiving in 2021 and 2022, but it is unclear if he paid for those vacations. Republicans and ethics experts are calling for transparency and disclosure, as Biden's failure to pay for confirmed free vacations or list them as gifts on annual disclosure forms has invited claims of a double standard. Efforts are underway to obtain records from Rubenstein about possible trips provided to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and may extend to Biden's stays. The White House has been evasive about Biden's vacation arrangements in the past.
Senator Dick Durbin has criticized Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' relationship with GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow, calling it "a tangled web" of ethics concerns that "just gets worse." Durbin has called on Chief Justice John Roberts to introduce a code of conduct for the Court that would hold the justices "to at least the minimum standards that apply to all other federal judges." The laundry list of reports has raised significant concerns for many that Crow was working to influence Thomas' decisions on the Court.
The Senate Judiciary chair, Sen. Durbin, has stated that "everything is on the table" in response to recent revelations about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's alleged conflicts of interest. Sen. Durbin has also called on Chief Justice John Roberts to address ethics concerns within the Supreme Court. This comes after reports that Justice Thomas's wife received thousands of dollars in "hidden payments" from conservative groups.