Ethics

From holiday parties to gifts, ethics czar warns feds to stay cautious during holiday season

Be careful before accepting that glass of wine at your next holiday party.

  • Eric Katz

VA’s work with outside vendors draws lawmaker scrutiny over conflicts of interest

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said VA’s claim it “had no occasions” where it identified an actual or potential conflict of interest with its contractors was “not believable.” 

  • Edward Graham

The Biden administration is without a confirmed ethics czar

This is the first time in five years that the federal government's ethics agency has been without a confirmed director. Trump holdover Emory Rounds stepped down when his term expired earlier this month.

  • Eric Katz

A new bipartisan bill looks to thwart financial conflicts of interest for top government officials

“The bipartisan HONEST Act will provide greater transparency and safeguard public interest by establishing clear guidelines that prioritize the American people,” said Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y.

  • Courtney Bublé

Federal Officials’ Financial and Ethics Docs Would Be Easier to Find Under a New Bill

The legislation would fix the “labyrinthian process of requesting them,” said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, of the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight.

  • Courtney Bublé

How do You Oversee Money That's Hard to Track?

The Project on Government Oversight's Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette joins the podcast to discuss how to minimize fraud in government spending.

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune

What Federal Employees Need to Know About Giving and Receiving Gifts in the Workplace

For ethics purposes, there are restrictions on what gifts federal workers and mail carriers can accept.

  • Michael Gennaro

Trump to Be Subpoenaed by Jan. 6 Panel as the ‘Central Cause’ of Capitol Insurrection

Cheney: Committee will consider criminal referrals for ‘multiple individuals,’ recommend legislative proposals to guard against similar attack in the future

  • Jacob Fischler, Idaho Capital Sun

GovExec Daily: Can Members of Congress Trade Stocks Using Insider Information?

Rep. Abigail Spanberger joins the podcast to discuss why legislators have more lax rules around ethics than federal employees.

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune

Can Federal Employees Take Part in Political Campaign Activities? Election Do’s and Don’ts

The third installment in a series about the rules and policies federal employees should know ahead of the midterm elections.

  • Courtney Bublé

Can Federal Employees Volunteer for Political Campaigns and Make Contributions? Election Do's and Don'ts

The second installment in a series about the rules and policies federal employees should know ahead of the midterm elections.

  • Courtney Bublé

Justice Department to Appeal Trump Special Master Order

Government prosecutors ask U.S. District Judge Cannon not to force them to hand over classified records seized in Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago while appeal is pending

  • Jacob Fischler, Idaho Capital Sun

GovExec Daily: The Law That Transformed the Civil Service

Tom Shoop joins the podcast to discuss the Pendleton Act

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune
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What’s Next after the FBI Search of Trump’s Residence?

"What we do know is that they were executing a search warrant that suggested they had probable cause to believe that evidence would be found for three different crimes."

  • Futurity

A Bipartisan Bill Would Ban Top Feds From Trading Stocks

Violators would potentially face hefty fines.

  • Eric Katz

FBI’s Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Reveals How Trump May Have Compromised National Security – a Legal Expert Answers 5 Key Questions

A search warrant expert breaks down the affidavit the FBI used to search Mar-a-Lago, and the national security concerns it presents.

  • Clark D. Cunningham, The Conversation

Prosecuting a President Is Divisive and Sometimes Destabilizing – Here’s Why Many Countries Do It Anyway

Both sweeping immunity and overzealous prosecutions of former leaders can undermine democracy. But such prosecutions pose different risks for older democracies like the U.S. than in younger ones.

  • Victor Menaldo, James D. Long and Morgan Wack, The Conversation

You Don’t Have to Be a Spy to Violate the Espionage Act – and Other Crucial Facts about the Law Trump May Have Broken

Two national security law experts explain how the Espionage Act isn’t only about international intrigue, and share other important points about the law that was invoked in a search of Trump’s estate.

  • Joseph Ferguson and Tom Durkin, The Conversation

Here’s How Government Documents Are Classified to Keep Sensitive Information Safe

What are classified documents? Who gets to see them? What happens if they are released?

  • Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation

GovExec Daily: Congress and Investment in Defense Firms

The Project on Government Oversight's Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette and Nathan Siegel join the podcast to discuss ethics, Congress and the Pentagon budget.

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune

Search Warrant Shows Trump under Investigation for Possible Espionage Act Violations

The seven-page document includes a brief description of everything the FBI confiscated.

  • Jennifer Shutt, Nevada Current