Sarah Huckabee Sanders' restaurant was illegal, says former chief of ethics



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The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, broke the law on ethics when she used her official Twitter account of the White House to complain about being deported. a restaurant in Virginia, according to the former head of the US Office of Government Ethics.

Sanders is complaining about her @PressSec On Saturday, about the restaurant Red Hen who refused to serve her on Friday, she tweeted because "I work for @POTUS". The restaurant's owner, Stephanie Wilkinson, told The Washington Post that Sanders had to leave because the company had "certain standards" to support, "such as honesty and compassion and cooperation."

Walter Shaub, who left Trump's administration a year ago after five years at the head of the Ethics Office, posted an annoyed tweet in response to Sanders' comment, pointing out that it's a "flagrant violation" of the Federal Law on Ethics. with the intention of personal gain or retaliation. He compared Sanders White House's tweet to a federal law enforcement officer who takes out a badge in a restaurant in a similar situation.

In an interview with CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) Asked the Office of Governmental Ethics to investigate Sanders for using her official Twitter account. to attack the restaurant.

Shaub cited Federal Law 5 CFR 2635.702, which prohibits government employees from using their position for personal gain or to endorse a product or business. He said the corollary – using the government's position to punish an operation by "discouraging favoritism" – is also illegal.

In addition, 5 CFR 2635.101, which outlines "the fundamental obligation of the public service", requires that employees "act impartially and do not give preferential treatment to a private organization or individual." Sanders may "lob attacks on his own time without using his position, "Shaub wrote.

White House lawyer Ian Bassin acknowledged on Twitter that Sanders' tweet "violates federal ethics." At the White House, "we trained all the staff who could not use their WH titles or resources (like Twitter)," he tweeted.

The red hen was adopted by critics of the Trump administration, but was criticized by supporters of Trump and Sanders.

Sanders did not respond to Shaub's accusations.

Pointing out to private companies for White House attacks is something that Sanders' boss has often done. Donald Trump has robbed 16 companies, including Amazon, Boeing, Delta, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, several media companies and Nordstrom – after dropping a line of products owned by his daughter Ivanka Trump.

Richard Painter, who was chief ethics officer during the George W. Bush administration, said that Trump's attacks against Amazon could constitute market manipulation under US laws on securities and that it could be sued by shareholders. Painter believes that Trump's complaints about the Amazon price pays the US Postal Service for deliveries is a cover for his fury against the often critical Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

"It is a violation of federal securities laws knowingly, or with extreme recklessness, to make false statements about a public company when you know that it could affect stock prices." Said Mr. Painter. Society.

"I think the president should abide by securities laws, abide by the ethics laws and the US Constitution like everyone else," he added.

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