Chaffetz wants to probe ethics of federal ethics director critical of Trump

Rep. Jason Chaffetz has repeatedly brushed off calls to investigate Donald Trump's potential conflicts of interest, and now he's threatened to probe — and possibly subpoena — a federal ethics official who has criticized the president-elect.

Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Walter Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), questioning instances of the agency "blurring the line between public relations and official ethics guidance," according to a copy published by The New York Times.

The letter includes a series of tweets posted on Nov. 30 from the official OGE account applauding Trump's decision to divest his business. The problem? The president-elect hadn't committed to divesting at that time. And he still hasn't. Trump will instead shift his company assets into a trust to be managed by his two sons, falling short of what ethics officials and Democrats have called for.

"It was not clear whether the tweets constituted official OGE guidance or something less formal," Chaffetz's letter reads. "It is clear, however, the tweets publicized private discussions with the president-elect's counsel."

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4817050-155/chaffetz-wants-to-probe-ethics-of