Walter Shaub has stepped down as director of the Office of Government Ethics after an on-going feud with the Trump administration as his office investigated conflicts of interest among the president and his team.
“It’s become clear to me that changes are needed to strengthen the executive branch ethics program,” Shaub said Thursday to the Associated Press.
President Barack Obama appointed Shaub back in 2013 and his term was set to expire next year, but he decided to call it quits early. He will join Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit in Washington that focuses on violations of campaign finance law.
Shaub wrote in his resignation letter to Trump that the employees he led “are committed to protecting the principle that public service is a public trust.”
Shaub spoke out earlier this year when it was announced that Trump would keep financial interests in the Trump Organization. He said Trump’s plan to hand over leadership to his adult sons “doesn’t meet the standards” of Trump’s own Cabinet nominees and past presidents.
In addition to questioning Trump’s sons overseeing the family business, Shaub wanted Kellyanne Conway to be punished for promoting Ivanka Trump’s fashion line on Fox News.
Shaub broke the news of his departure on Twitter and his account has been confirmed by the Associated Press. Check out his resignation letter and statement:
https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/883007616435269632
https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/883020686763204608