Top Democrats from the House Financial Services Committee sent letters to Inspectors General at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice and other federal financial services agencies asking them to root out potential conflicts of interest in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
The letter sent by Maxine Waters (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Al Green (D-TX) highlights Trump’s ties to Deutsche Bank and his ability as president to oversee ongoing settlements with the bank.
“President-elect Trump’s questionable ethical principles may influence who he appoints to lead our federal agencies and, ultimately, influence the culture within these federal agencies. As a result, the work that you perform will become especially integral to upholding the ethical standards of the Executive branch,” members said.
The members express their concerns with Trump, particularly his unwillingness to mitigate potential conflicts of interest, urging Inspectors General to take immediate action in order to ensure appointees at the agencies are held to the highest ethical standards to mitigate conflicts of interest when they arise.