Ethics office: Anonymous gifts to legal defense funds are not allowed
Source: The Hill
BY MEGAN R. WILSON - 09/28/17 11:20 AM EDT
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE), the federal government’s ethics watchdog, clarified its policy on legal defense funds on Thursday, stating that anonymous contributions should not be accepted.
The announcement comes after a report that suggested that OGE was departing from internal policy regarding the donations, paving the way for federal officials to accept anonymous donations from otherwise prohibited groups — such as lobbyists — to offset their legal bills.
In 1993, OGE issued an informal advisory opinion that allowed for such donations because the federal employee “does not know who the paymasters are.”
Immediately after, the office acknowledged the problems associated with allowing prohibited individuals to give to legal defense funds anonymously and instead advised lawyers not to accept those contributions.
Read more: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/352867-ethics-office-anonymous-gifts-to-legal-defense-funds-are-not-allowed
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