The Battle to Keep Trump's Coronavirus Response Effort Honest Has Begun
A president with little regard for ethical norms and a pattern of self-dealing signs into law a relief package that will give out upward of trillions of dollars. A White House that from day one has been dogged by questions about personal interests mingling with public service takes control of a governmentwide pandemic response. Senior members of the administration who have flouted federal ethics rules regarding their own personal finances and business interests turn to the private sector for help as they grapple with one of the worst public-health crises in a century.
What could go wrong?
As the Federal Reserve expands its emergency lending powers, and as President Trump’s $2 trillion coronavirus relief law goes into full effect, there’s a fight brewing over how to keep track of the money to ensure it reaches the people who need it most — and doesn’t end up enriching Trump’s friends and business partners.
On Thursday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a list of questions to Scott Gast, a senior counsel to the president and the White House’s designated ethics official, about possible ethical and criminal conflict-of-interest issues with the administration’s coronavirus response efforts. “Amidst the coronavirus pandemic,” they write, “the American public should not have to worry that critical public health and economic decisions are being made in secret by public officials influenced by financial connections and personal ties.”
The letter highlighted potential conflicts with the coronavirus working group led by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The letter cited reporting in Politico that said private companies assisting Kushner on a voluntary basis were “seeking to entrench themselves in hopes of winning lucrative government contracts down the line.” The senators also noted reporting in the Atlantic that indicated Oscar Health, a tech-centric health insurance company Kushner had previously owned or controlled, had worked with administration officials to develop a coronavirus-testing website. And the letter pointed out that Apollo Global Management, a private-equity firm that lent $200 million to Kushner Cos. in 2017, has urged the Federal Reserve to expand its emergency lending guidelines.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-coronavirus-paycheck-protection-program-stimulus-check-warren-kushner-oversight-984985/
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