A former White House ethics chief claims Donald Trump may have broken federal law by handing $45,000 cash gifts to three aides, including personal assistant Natalie Harp. A watchdog group now wants an investigation into whether those payments amount to an illegal violation of conflict of interest rules.
Barack Obama’s counsel comments on Donald Trump giving gifts to Natalie Harp
Norm Eisen, who advised Barack Obama on ethics and government reform, says the payments could violate 18 USC 209, a statute that bars executive branch employees from taking extra pay beyond their salary for doing their jobs.
Eisen called the matter deeply troubling. He said the law exists so that government workers stay loyal to the country, not to whoever sits in the Oval Office. He also dismissed the White House’s defense, saying it strains belief to call such large sums anything other than income supplementation. “We’re not talking about some small gift or minor trinket, but about large sums,” he said.
Elsewhere, the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan watchdog, filed a complaint with the US Office of Government Ethics. The group argues that an investigation is “clearly warranted.” Its vice-president and general counsel, Kedric Payne, said laws against supplemental income are “not arbitrary”; they keep public servants focused on public service rather than on a “wealthy benefactor” with other goals in mind.
The gifts went to Natalie Harp, Chamberlain Harris and Margo Martin. Each listed the money on financial disclosure forms as a “cash gift for holiday” (via The Washington Post). The $45,000 payments equaled 30% of the aides’ $150,000 salaries.
The White House denies any ethical breach. Eisen rejected that position, saying the denials strain credibility given the size of the payments. The statute permits fines or imprisonment, and the burden falls on both the giver and the recipients if a violation is found. Ethics specialist James Thurber called the payments “legal but totally unethical,” adding: “This is nothing new for Trump.”
(Source: The Guardian)
