Ethics

Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s Pick for Attorney General, Be Independent in that Role? History Says It’s Unlikely

History shows that attorneys general who are picked by – and serve at the pleasure of – the president are not as independent as they may be expected to be.

  • Joshua Holzer, The Conversation

Biden Issues Sweeping Ethics Plan for Appointees

Hours before departing the White House, former President Trump revoked his own ethics pledge, allowing current and former Trump appointees to immediately become lobbyists.

  • Courtney Bublé

Trump’s D.C. Hotel Under Renewed Scrutiny 

The Capitol riots, Trump’s second impeachment and the upcoming change in administrations raise new questions about whether the General Services Administration will continue the lease. 

  • Courtney Bublé

GovExec Daily: Feds' Anti-Gag Rights During the Transition

Government Accountability Project's Irvin McCullough and Aman Panjwani join the podcast to discuss whistleblower rights at the end of the Trump administration.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

Viewpoint: Keep Politics Out of National-Security Advisory Boards

Trump’s appointment of loyalists to DHS and DOD boards sets a dangerous precedent.

  • Karen Tandy and Sarah Morgenthau

Analysis: Bill Barr’s Departure Reveals the Hollowness of Trumpism

Like Jeff Sessions before him, the attorney general discovered that all that matters to Trump is personal loyalty, not ideology.

  • David A. Graham

How Dozens of Trump’s Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over

Documents show that officials appointed by Trump who’d otherwise lose their jobs under Biden have been approved for permanent positions in federal agencies.

  • Lydia DePillis, ProPublica

Did Trump Delay the Arrival of At-Home Coronavirus Testing?

Some experts think that at-home testing can stop coronavirus outbreaks, and that the government should have been doing more to produce the tests.

  • Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Over 170 Groups Call for Biden Administration to Take Up Ethics Reforms Immediately 

President-elect Biden addressed many of their concerns in his campaign platform and transition plan. 

  • Courtney Bublé

Judge Orders the Release of Data on Emergency Loans for Small Businesses

A consortium of news organizations, including ProPublica, has won a legal fight against the Small Business Administration. It will now have to publicly release the names of borrowers who got government pandemic loans.

  • Lydia DePillis, ProPublica

The Transition Is (Mostly) Safe From Trump

However resolved an outgoing president might be to thwart a smooth transition, much of the process lies entirely outside his control.

  • Kate Shaw and Michael Eric Herz, The Atlantic

The Politicization of the State Department Is Almost Complete

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, have weaponized the institution for the Trump administration’s domestic political objectives.

  • P. Michael McKinley, The Atlantic

Veterans Affairs Secretary Headlines GOP Fundraiser as COVID-19 Cases Surge

Electioneering by a cabinet secretary is unusual by historical standards, but Trump administration officials continue to show no reluctance to play politics.

  • Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica
Featured eBooks
Preparing Managers for Tomorrow's Government
Army Tech & Trends
State CIOs in 2020

GovExec Daily: Reducing Lobbyist and Corporate Influence

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss a letter from House Democrats to Senate leadership urging against lobbyists in the executive branch.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

House Democrats Seek to Reduce Corporate Influence in the Federal Government

A group of progressive-leaning House Democrats urged the Senate to not confirm lobbyists or C-suite officials for political appointments. 

  • Courtney Bublé

What Donald Trump Doesn’t Want to Hear

White House aides cater to the president’s emotional needs, at the expense of the country’s interests and his own health.

  • Peter Nicholas, The Atlantic

The Justice Department May Have Violated Attorney General Barr’s Own Policy Memo

In a memo from May, the attorney general reminded Justice Dept. prosecutors to avoid partisan politics. Then a U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania announced an election investigation that had partisan overtones.

  • Justin Elliott and Robert Faturechi, ProPublica

Trump’s Vaccine Czar Refuses to Give Up Stock in Drug Company Involved in His Government Role

The administration calls Moncef Slaoui, who leads its vaccine race, a “contractor” to sidestep rules against personally profiting from government positions. Slaoui owns $10 million in stock of a company working with his team to develop a vaccine.

  • Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica

The Inside Story of the Mueller Probe’s Mistakes

In a new book, Andrew Weissmann, one of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s top deputies, lays out the limits and letdowns of the years-long Russia investigation.

  • George Packer, The Atlantic

GovExec Daily: Career Feds and Political Interference

Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss the investigations into interference into agency work.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

What Are Parents Supposed to Do With Their Kids?

With public schools closed, at least 15 states have no free child-care options for essential workers.

  • Olga Khazan and Adam Harris, The Atlantic