EDITORIAL: The exhausting job of telling Donald Trump to behave

SHARE EDITORIAL: The exhausting job of telling Donald Trump to behave
ethics_director_resigns_69901219.jpg

Walter Shaub Jr., director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics walks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 23. Shaub, who prodded President Donald Trump’s administration over conflicts of interest is resigning to take a new job, at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit in Washington that mostly focuses on violations of campaign finance law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

There’s nothing funny about the Trump administration’s ethics being called “close to a laughingstock” by someone who knows.

Departing federal ethics chief Walter M. Shaub Jr., who tangled nonstop for months with our nation’s ethics-challenged president, delivered that assessment this week on his way out the door. It was a warning well worth heeding.

Better yet, Shaub made several specific suggestions — all good though none necessarily doable — to force the White House to clean up its act.

EDITORIAL

The White House is expected to set a standard for etthical behavior for the nation, as well as for governments around the world. And while conflict-of-interest laws generally do not apply to a president, past chief executives have been careful to abide by their spirit. They have divested assets and put their investments into blind trusts. They have released their tax returns. They have in myriad ways tried to create a wall between what’s good for their bankbook and what’s good for the nation.

They have done everything, that is to say, that Donald Trump shows no interest in doing.

The result, for this White House, has been a carnival of transgressions. The Trump family cheerfully collects valuable trademark protections from foreign governments, and Trump promotes his properties through constant visits. Foreign governments pay to use Trump properties. A Cabinet official encourages the public to see a movie he produced. A White House adviser publicly hawks merchandise sold by the president’s daughter.

Asking Trump to abide by recognized ethical norms has proved to be a waste of time. Shaming doesn’t work on the shameless. Shaub believes the only recourse is to impose actually legal limits on this president and future presidents. Among his proposals, he says the ethics office should be able to require presidential candidates release tax returns; have limited power to subpoena records; be able to negotiate prohibitions on conflicts of interest involving the president, and strengthen financial disclosure rules.

Getting such laws through a Republican Congress won’t be easy. Actually, it will  be impossible. This is a crowd that can’t even get worked up about the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia. At minimum, though, Congress should demand that Trump appoint another bulldog on ethics, not a lapdog, to replace Shaub.

The job requires somebody who is unafraid to tell the president to behave, which we know must be tiring.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.