President Donald Trump has once again moved to shake up the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), removing its director, David Huitema, in a decision reminiscent of past battles over ethical oversight. According to Politico, Trump dismissed Huitema despite his recent confirmation in December to a five-year term, a position intended to serve as an independent watchdog over the administration.
“His dismissal was announced in one sentence on the OGE website, stating that the office had been notified that Trump was 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,” Politico reported.
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Huitema, a seasoned ethics official, previously served as the ethics czar for the State Department for nine years before being nominated to lead OGE by former President Joe Biden. However, his confirmation process was not without controversy.
“Senate Democrats tried [last] 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,” the report noted.
The abrupt removal of Huitema mirrors the early days of Trump’s first administration in 2017 when he clashed with then-OGE Director Walter Shaub. Shaub repeatedly pressed Trump to fully divest from his business empire and disclose his appointees’ ethics waivers in a transparent manner. The tension ultimately led Shaub to resign in frustration, citing his inability to enforce ethics standards under Trump’s leadership.
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After stepping down, Shaub joined the Campaign Legal Center and the Project on Government Oversight, continuing his ethics advocacy from outside the government. Huitema’s firing comes at a time when Democratic lawmakers are intensifying calls for stronger ethics enforcement, particularly concerning tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency task force has reportedly gained unchecked access to government systems, dismissed civil servants, and proposed sweeping budget cuts—moves that critics argue lack proper oversight and transparency.
With Trump’s removal of Huitema and growing concerns over Musk’s role in shaping government policy, the battle over ethics in Washington appears to be escalating once again. Whether the administration will face significant pushback remains to be seen, but for now, history appears to be repeating itself.
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