Ethics & Accountability


We are challenging ethics abuses and transparency issues and demanding accountability from Congress and the Executive Branch, because that’s what the American people deserve.

Tag Archive for: Ethics & Accountability

Ethics Watchdogs Supplement Request to OCE for Inquiry into Whether Nunes Violated House Ethics Rules

  Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government (CREW), sent a letter today to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) supplementing our March 28, 2017 letter requesting an inquiry by OCE into whether Rep. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, disclosed classified information in violation of House ethics […]

Democracy 21 Commends Ivanka Trump for Changing Position, Agreeing to Become White House Employee

  On March 23, Democracy 21, joined by CREW and the Campaign Legal Center, wrote to White House Counsel Donald McGahn and challenged the arrangement he had approved with regard to Ivanka Trump working in the White House. Under the arrangement approved by Mr. McGahn, Ms. Trump would have had the privileges and opportunities for […]

Ethics Watchdogs Request OCE Inquiry into Whether Rep. Nunes Violated House Ethics Rules

  Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government (CREW), sent a letter today to the Office of Congressional Ethics asking them to conduct an inquiry into whether Rep. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, disclosed classified information to the public on March 22, 2017 in violation of House ethics rules. […]

Watchdog Groups Challenge White House Counsel Over Terms of Arrangement to Permit White House Role for Ivanka Trump

  Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government (CREW) and the Campaign Legal Center, sent a letter today to White House Counsel Donald McGahn, challenging the arrangement approved by the Counsel’s office regarding Ivanka Trump’s role in the White House. The watchdog groups expressed “deep concern about the highly unusual and […]

Statement: GSA Ruling Giving Trump a Pass on Trump International Hotel is Nonsense

  The General Services Administration ruled today that the lease for the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC has not been violated by Trump becoming president. The lease, however, prevents any federal official from benefiting from the lease and President Trump, in fact, will benefit from the lease. The GSA ruling is a tortured reading […]

Democracy 21 Urges NY AG to Investigate The Trump Org and Prevent Them from Receiving Illegal Emoluments from Foreign Govts to Benefit Pres. Trump

Democracy 21 sent a letter today to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that urged Schneiderman to conduct an investigation and “to take whatever steps maybe necessary to prevent The Trump Organization and related Trump businesses from serving as a vehicle, or conduit, for foreign governments to provide payments or other financial benefits that benefit […]

Fred Wertheimer: “Trump’s White House and DOJ Should Keep Their Hands off any Investigation of The Trump Organization Pursued by Office of the U.S. Attorney for Southern District”

On March 8, 2017, Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the Campaign Legal Center, sent a letter to Preet Bharara, then U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The letter called on the U.S. Attorney to take whatever steps may be necessary to prevent The Trump Organization […]

Watchdog Groups Resubmit Letter to Acting SDNY U.S Attorney to Take Steps to Prevent Trump Org. from Receiving Foreign Emoluments That Benefit Trump

  Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the Campaign Legal Center, sent a letter today to Joon H. Kim, the acting head of the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The letter resubmitted to Kim a request the watchdog groups sent last […]

Democracy 21 Calls on EPA Ethics Officer to Ensure EPA Director Recuses Himself from Lawsuits He Brought Against EPA

  In a letter sent today to the EPA’s designated agency ethics officer, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer called on Kevin Minoli to ensure that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt recuses himself from any decision making with regard to the multiple lawsuits that he brought against the EPA while he was the Attorney General of Oklahoma. […]

Watchdog Groups Call on NY U.S Attorney to Take Steps to Prevent Trump Org. from Receiving Foreign Emoluments

  Democracy 21, joined by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the Campaign Legal Center, today called on the U.S Attorney for the Southern District in New York to take steps to prevent The Trump Organization from receiving any financial benefits from foreign governments that benefit President Trump and do not comply […]