President Donald Trump has removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, an official tasked with ensuring government workers comply with conflict of interest and ethics requirements.
David Huitema was confirmed by the Senate in December for a five-year term. His dismissal was announced in one sentence on the OGE website, stating that the office had been notified that Trump is removing him as director. The website also said OGE will revert to an acting director: Shelley K. Finlayson, chief of staff and program counsel at the office.
Controversy Surrounding the Removal
It’s the latest in Trump’s efforts to remove people charged with oversight of his administration from the federal government. For example, his administration has also removed prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 cases. His removal of Huitema, who was confirmed in a party-line vote last year, is likely to draw criticism, especially from Democrats who have been sounding the alarm about Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s sweeping cuts across federal agencies.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), in letters first shared with POLITICO on Monday, pressed White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Huitema to verify whether Musk was in compliance with ethics standards in his capacity as a “special government employee.” Schiff also asked if Musk has completed a financial disclosure, or if he was provided a written waiver that would exempt him from the federal criminal conflict of interest statute.
Huitema, who served for nine years as ethics chief at the State Department, was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, but not confirmed by the then Democratic-controlled Senate for more than a year. Senate Democrats tried in September to move his nomination through a unanimous consent request, but Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) objected, arguing that Hitema would engage in “partisan lawfare” and that the winner of the 2024 presidential election should make the appointment.
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