Government Ethics

President Bush's financial fortunes appear to have declined over the past seven years, with his family assets dropping as low as $6.5 million, according to disclosure forms released yesterday. Bush and his wife, Laura, were worth at least $9 million and as much as $24 million at the start of his term. The Bushes could still be worth as much as $20 million now, according to the financial documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, which requires assets to be reported only within broad ranges.

The District's government ethics board said it has found "a substantial body of evidence" that D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) violated the city's code of employee conduct while intervening in a 2008 contract dispute. But the board dismissed its proceedings against Graham, saying it had no authority to penalize him. In a 27-page opinion delivered Thursday, the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability concurred with an earlier investigation that found Graham had offered a D.C....

The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $5 million—and set aside $4 million more — last year for two training conferences, and now the organizers of them are under investigation over whether they broke ethics rules by improperly accepting gifts, lawmakers and government sources said. The agency's inspector general is investigating whether event planners and other organizers of the training for human resources employees took alcohol, concert tickets and spa treatments from vendors.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA voters showed the door Tuesday to a D.C. Council member who had made a mess of his personal and political affairs. They also gave overwhelming approval to a trio of reforms aimed at improving government ethics. They made clear, in other words, that they are fed up with the scandals that have mired their city. "It's a new day for D.C.," David Grosso said after his upset win over incumbent Michael A. Brown (I) for one of two at-large seats on the council. Mr. Grosso (I)

Norm Eisen had just returned from his fourth urgent trip to the White House in the past three hours when his BlackBerry beckoned again. He groaned and opened his e-mail inbox. There, flashing at the top of the list, he found exactly what he had expected: another note from one of President Obama's senior advisers, typed in red font and littered with exclamation marks. " Need your help! Can you come . . . fast? " "This is what my job is like," Eisen said, grabbing his jacket. "It's one emergency after the next.

Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. Now the Washington Redskins are talking up a new twist. Their sales force has given a one-page handout to a potential customer that states that congressional officials could accept a free "Suite Guest Pass"...

Sign up now! The federal Office of Government Ethics is holding a conference for 820 federal ethics officials, mostly lawyers, Sept. 13 to 15 at the self-styled "legendary Orlando World Center Marriott ," a magnificent golf and spa resort. "We encourage new and experienced ethics officials, regional ethics officials, Inspector General staff and others with ethics-related duties to attend the conference," the office says on its Web site, announcing its "18th National Government Ethics Conference.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA voters showed the door Tuesday to a D.C. Council member who had made a mess of his personal and political affairs. They also gave overwhelming approval to a trio of reforms aimed at improving government ethics. They made clear, in other words, that they are fed up with the scandals that have mired their city. "It's a new day for D.C.," David Grosso said after his upset win over incumbent Michael A. Brown (I) for one of two at-large seats on the council. Mr. Grosso (I)

This month, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) nominated Robert Spagnoletti to lead the new Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, and the D.C. Council is poised to consider that nomination Monday. Spagnoletti is a highly regarded lawyer who served as the District's first attorney general and before that as a federal prosecutor. By all accounts, he is a person of integrity, and the mayor should be credited with choosing someone of Spagnoletti's stature for this post. But members of this board...

Three days after a scandal-plagued 2010 Las Vegas conference for employees of the General Services Administration, the president's Office of Government Ethics gave a clean bill of health to the GSA's ethics program. The approval was based on an examination of the agency's financial disclosure procedures and ethics training and advising processes between 2008 and 2009. "GSA's ethics program appears to be effectively administered and in compliance with applicable...

In the 1980s and '90s, a series of ethics scandals roiled Congress, claiming the careers of several influential politicians. Among them: House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), for accepting excessive speaking fees, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich , (R-Ga.), for misusing a tax-exempt foundation. Badly bruised by the ethics fights, House lawmakers agreed to an informal cease-fire in 1997. The unspoken agreement to refrain from filing complaints held for seven years until 2004, when the House Ethics...

The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $5 million—and set aside $4 million more — last year for two training conferences, and now the organizers of them are under investigation over whether they broke ethics rules by improperly accepting gifts, lawmakers and government sources said. The agency's inspector general is investigating whether event planners and other organizers of the training for human resources employees took alcohol, concert tickets and spa treatments from vendors.

Three days after a scandal-plagued 2010 Las Vegas conference for employees of the General Services Administration, the president's Office of Government Ethics gave a clean bill of health to the GSA's ethics program. The approval was based on an examination of the agency's financial disclosure procedures and ethics training and advising processes between 2008 and 2009. "GSA's ethics program appears to be effectively administered and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and...

DESPITE ITS GOOD intentions, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (Stock) Act has become the latest case study in petty partisan politics and legislative incompetence. As its name implies, the act was conceived with the legitimate aim of preventing insider trading in Congress. Four months after it was signed into law, however, it's clear that a portion of the act would do far more than that, potentially jeopardizing national security along with the personal safety of...

The D.C. Council and Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration struggled with ethics and campaign finance reforms Monday, presenting new hurdles to officials seeking to overcome recent scandals testing their leadership skills. In a series of hearings at the John A. Wilson Building, officials debated over a new ethics panel and how to reduce the influence of money in District politics. The hearings took place as the council prepares for summer recess after a trying spring session, when two...

This month, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) nominated Robert Spagnoletti to lead the new Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, and the D.C. Council is poised to consider that nomination Monday. Spagnoletti is a highly regarded lawyer who served as the District's first attorney general and before that as a federal prosecutor. By all accounts, he is a person of integrity, and the mayor should be credited with choosing someone of Spagnoletti's stature for this post. But members of this board will...

THERE IS no getting around the uniquely difficult issues posed by the dual roles of Hillary Rodham Clinton as future secretary of state and former president Bill Clinton as the head of a foundation that raises money from foreign governments. Mr. Clinton's foundation does valuable work around the world on issues such as HIV/AIDS, climate change and economic development. Foreign governments provide critical support; Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, Sweden, Canada, France, Denmark, Norway and the Dominican Republic, among others, support the foundation's...

Lobbyists are arguing against an Obama administration proposal that would tighten rules governing what executive branch employees may accept from companies and trade associations that try to influence government policy. The rules would ban executive branch employees from accepting gifts of any value from a lobbyist or an organization that employs lobbyists . The rules also would end a policy that allows lawmakers and government workers to accept free admission to "widely attended...

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Tuesday nominated former city attorney general Robert J. Spagnoletti to chair the city's new government ethics board. Gray (D) unveiled Tuesday the nominations of Spagnoletti and two others to the three-member panel after drawing weeks of criticism for not filling the positions. The nominations require council approval and come as many in the city are looking to the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability to help restore confidence in public officials after instances of...