REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Trump White House reportedly rejected training for senior staff and Cabinet nominees on ethical guidelines, Politico reported Thursday morning. According to documents obtained by the Beltway publication, “the program could have better prepared officials for working within existing laws and executive orders, and provided guidance on how to navigate Senate confirmation for nominees and political appointees, how to deal with congressional and media scrutiny, and how to work with Congress and collaborate with agencies—some of the same issues that have become major stumbling blocks in the early days of the administration.” Both the Bush and Obama transition teams received such training, but Trump’s people rejected the contract-based course—expected to cost $1 million—because of shifting priorities. However, as Politico noted, several Trump appointees have lamented the lack of training; and staffers like Kellyanne Conway have been caught in multiple ethical stumbles early on.