Former White House Ethics Czar Slams Musk and Trump: ‘They’re Violating the Law Right and Left!’
Billionaire Republican megadonor Elon Musk and President Donald Trump made a wild joint appearance in the Oval Office on Tuesday and took questions from reporters.
Trump appointed Musk to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a nebulous group with no congressional mandate that is nonetheless making key personnel decisions and freezing congressionally appropriated funds. Musk’s actions have been struck down by judges in multiple cases.
Last week, the White House said that Musk – whose companies have billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government – will police himself when it comes to potential conflicts of interest.
On Tuesday’s edition of The Situation Room on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked Norm Eisen about the troubling arrangement.
“You’re a former White House ethics czar,” Blitzer said. “You heard Elon Musk say he’s essentially policing himself right now. Is that how things are supposed to work?”
Eisen, who served in the Obama White House as special counsel and special assistant for ethics and government reform, was unequivocal in his response:
No, Wolf. The ethics laws are there to protect against conflicts. So, people who are working for the government are serving the public interest, not their own interest. Elon Musk is slashing staff in agencies that are investigating him.
What arrangements have been made? We haven’t seen his financial disclosures. Supposedly, he’s signed it. How is he dealing with these conflicts? Does he have waivers? Is he recused?
You have a criminal president, 34 convictions. No wonder he’s happy with Elon Musk. They’re violating the law right and left! And it’s a lie by the president that he always abides by court orders. I was in that courtroom in New York. He broke the judge’s directive again and again. He was fined and he didn’t stop until the judge threatened him with jail.
Eisen was alluding to Trump’s criminal convictions last year in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump repeatedly attacked prosecutors, court staff, and witnesses until the judge imposed a gag order on him, which Trump initially violated.
Watch above via CNN.
