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"Not taking
disciplinary action against a senior official under such
circumstances risks undermining the ethics program," Office of
Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub wrote in a letter to
White House Deputy Counsel Stefan Passantino.
The ethics office had called for Conway to be disciplined after
she said on television last month that people should "go buy
Ivanka's stuff," in comments that appeared to violate government
ethics rules prohibiting the use of public office to endorse
products or advance personal business gains.
Passantino had said in a letter to Shaub made public last week
that Conway, a senior aide to Donald Trump, had acted
"inadvertently." There was no mention of discipline in the
letter.
In a separate letter to the leaders of the House of
Representatives oversight panel on Thursday, Shaub said the
White House response had made clear that disciplinary action
would not be taken against Conway.
"Of greater concern, the White House's response includes
assertions challenging the applicability of ethics rules and
OGE's authority to oversee the ethics program for the entire
executive branch. OGE disagrees with these assertions," Shaub
wrote.
(Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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