Senator Carper Requests More Information Regarding Potential Conflicts of Interest in President-elect Trump’s Administration

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub requesting more information regarding how his office plans to address the potential for conflicts of interest in the upcoming Administration of President-elect Donald Trump. 

“As you know, President-elect Trump is a businessman with considerable financial interests in the United States and around the world,” wrote Senator Carper. “The full extent of his financial interests remains unclear, in part because he was the first presidential candidate in modern history to decline to release his tax returns to the American public. These unique circumstances raise important questions about how the Administration of President-elect Trump will avoid conflicts of interest and ensure integrity of executive branch programs and operations.”

Senator Carper continued, “As the independent ethics watchdog of the federal government, the Office of Government Ethics must provide assurances to the American people that your agency will advance a strong ethics program that holds the Administration of President-elect Trump accountable for any conflicts of interest.” 

Specifically, Senator Carper requested more information on how the office plans to address the handling of the Trump organization, the President-elect’s financial and familial conflicts of interest, as well as ongoing financial disclosure obligations and outside fiduciary positions.

The text of the letter can be found in PDF form here.