Well, David J. Apol’s most likely toast in the Trump Administration.
Recently appointed by Donald Trump as acting head of Office of Government Ethics, Apol yesterday released a memo to all department heads to act ethically, a move that comes after a number of Trump Cabinet officials have come under fire for abusing their offices and wasting millions of taxpayer money on frivolous personal travel.
Former Health and Human Services chief Tom Price resigned two weeks ago for just that reason, and it appears Apol’s hoping to prevent similar scenarios from playing out in the future.
“I am deeply concerned that the actions of some in Government leadership have harmed perceptions about the importance of ethics and what conduct is, and is not, permissible,” Apol wrote in the letter, released yesterday. He adds, “The citizens we serve deserve to have confidence in the integrity of their Government.” He also gave Trump and his band of millionaire cabinet officials a reminder of how to act ethically, i.e.” “Demonstrate personal ethical behavior by modeling a ‘Should I do it’ mentality (versus a ‘Can I do it?’ mentality)” and “promote a safe culture for reporting misconduct.”
We know Donald Trump doesn’t appreciate being undercut by his underlings — though he’s more than willing to undercut them — so my bet is that Apol will be getting the ol’ James Comey treatment sooner, rather than later.