The problem with Trump is that he’s Trump. For months now journalists and talking heads have been bemoaning the “normalization” of Trump. Specifically they’re talking about his verbal farts and tweets. The CNN/WWE gif tweet drew immediate and righteous condemnation, but journalists worried that it was like pissing into a fan. The trouble is that Trump is so obnoxious, and on pretty much a daily basis, that no matter how much you’d like to start foaming at the mouth over every new provocation, he’s becoming like the North Koreans, you loudly warn him not to do it again, and go about your life. There’s only so much you can be shocked by coming from one unpredictable asshole.
Hunter has an excellent diary covering Trump’s ethical lapses in regards to his ownership of the Washington DC hotel, and his apparent invincibility with it. He points out that according to the GSA, who controls the lease for the US government that owns the building they declared that there is no lease violation because Trump is not profiting now. Hunter points out that is isn’t a matter of when Trump profits, but that Trump does profit at all. But unlike the state of South Carolina, who ruled against Trump in a property cleanup scam he initiated on behalf of his sons pathetic business acumen, the GSA quickly decided not to get into the wallow with this particular pig.
Walter Schaub Jr., the outgoing head of the Office of Government Ethics laid the problem out in clear, concise detail for Chris Hayes last night on All In. The problem with the OGE is that it is not so much a punitive body as it is a preventative body. They’re not there to whack you when you do something wrong, they’re there to give you the guidance and information to keep from doing it wrong in the first place. With cabinet nominees, they normally get paperwork well before the nominee goes through his or her Senate confirmation hearing, they can counsel him on what he needs to change or divest to remain in compliance with ethics regulations. This still works, as it has led several Trump nominees, such as Andy Pudzer, to withdraw rather than untangle their complicated assets, although Pudzer faced other challenges as well. Appointees are more difficult, since they are often seated before the OGE even gets their paperwork.
The problem isn’t with the ethics rules, nor the agencies involved, the problem is with enforcement. The problem is when the OGE points out either a possible, or worse yet a concrete violation of the rules, and the administration response is a hearty “Fuck You!”. It is a shock with the Trump mob simply because it has seldom if ever occurred before. As Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out recently, as a general rule people crave the stamp of approval from the OGE, it proves their bona fides that they are straight shooters, capable of faithfully executing their duties on behalf of the American people, beholden to no one. When is the last time that a member of the US government didn’t give a shit if the whole world knew that he was as crooked as a corkscrew? That’s the situation we’re faced with here.
We have been able to ignore this problem up until now simply because it has never come up before. The rules and agencies were sufficient solely because everybody played by the rules. But now we’re being confronted by a criminal cabal with no interest in norms or rules, those are for suckers. The question is, what are we going to do about it.
So far, the answer seems to be that we’re going to cave in like a hundred year old coal mine. I can’t really blame the OGE, Their main enforcement tool seems to be public shaming, call then out on their prospective or actual violations, and let public pressure and pushback from congress force compliance through shame. But we’re dealing with a bunch to whom “shame” is a word from the Swahili language. The GSA I can blame all I want, they hold the lease, and they can terminate the lease for violations at any time they choose. Being spineless wimps, they’re choosing not to enforce the lease.
The fact of the matter is that this issue is not insoluble, shit, it’s not even difficult, but good luck setting it up. Pop Quiz! What are the two words that wake up politicians screaming in the middle of the night? Answer: Independent Prosecutor. People completely out of their control that can fit them with orange jumpsuits. There are agencies and programs in the government that are basically untouchable, they are funded by what is referred to as “mandatory spending” by law. Their funding cannot be cut or altered except by a change in the law. What we need is an independent Government Ethics watchdog office, fully funded, with the regulatory teeth to force compliance with the existing ethics rules that the government operates under. Come on, I mean, really. Is that too much to ask for to ensure that our system of government doesn’t devolve into a back alley crap shoot?
You know, when we get stuck with an incompetent boob in the White House, one of the complaints is that we shouldn’t elect a President because of his faith, personality, or looks. We’re not hiring them to do our favorite TV show, we’re hiring them to run a business organization. But the last time I checked, it wasn’t supposed to be the Capone organization. *mic drop*