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Steve Mnuchin's Financial Disclosures Haven't Earned Ethics Officials' Blessing. Why not?
David Fahrenthold RetweetedICYMI: @Publici [broke] news on why @OfficeGovEthics hasn’t yet signed off on Mnuchin’s financial disclosures, and pieced together evidence showing he divested assets to his wife.
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FEDERAL POLITICS
Published — March 8, 2019
STEVEN MNUCHIN’S FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES HAVEN’T EARNED ETHICS OFFICIALS’ BLESSING. WHAT’S THE HOLD-UP?
Transactions involving a film production company owned by Mnuchin’s wife have prompted questions.
Carrie Levine
Deputy Federal Politics Editor and Senior Reporter
The executive branch’s chief ethics watchdogs have yet to certify Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s annual financial disclosure — an unusually lengthy delay in finalizing a document they’ve had for more than eight months. ... While the Office of Government Ethics won’t publicly explain the holdup, an analysis of Mnuchin’s disclosure, which was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, identified entries that outside ethics experts say could be the hitch.
The disclosure statement covers Mnuchin’s 2017 personal finances, and Treasury’s own ethics officials certified it after finding no conflicts of interest. ... Some entries on Mnuchin’s 53-page form involve Stormchaser Partners LLC, a film production company owned by Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton.
Mnuchin’s ethics agreement, negotiated when he joined the government, required him to step down from the chairmanship of Stormchaser Partners and divest his own ownership interest in it within 90 days of his confirmation in February 2017. (Mnuchin also agreed to divest dozens of other assets that ethics officials said potentially presented conflicts of interest or the appearance of one.)
....
Mnuchin’s current disclosures show Linton continues to own Stormchaser Partners. Under ethics law, spousal assets are treated identically to assets owned directly by the government official. Therefore, any issues that would have been raised by Mnuchin’s ownership of Stormchaser Partners would also be raised if Linton owns it. ... That means the divestment of Mnuchin’s ownership stake won’t cure any conflicts that arise as long as Linton owns it. This would require Mnuchin to recuse himself if something comes up.
....
The only other Cabinet-level official whose 2018 personal financial disclosure forms have not yet been certified by OGE is Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Late last month, OGE said it would not certify Ross’ forms after finding Ross was not in compliance with his ethics agreement.
Published — March 8, 2019
STEVEN MNUCHIN’S FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES HAVEN’T EARNED ETHICS OFFICIALS’ BLESSING. WHAT’S THE HOLD-UP?
Transactions involving a film production company owned by Mnuchin’s wife have prompted questions.
Carrie Levine
Deputy Federal Politics Editor and Senior Reporter
The executive branch’s chief ethics watchdogs have yet to certify Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s annual financial disclosure — an unusually lengthy delay in finalizing a document they’ve had for more than eight months. ... While the Office of Government Ethics won’t publicly explain the holdup, an analysis of Mnuchin’s disclosure, which was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, identified entries that outside ethics experts say could be the hitch.
The disclosure statement covers Mnuchin’s 2017 personal finances, and Treasury’s own ethics officials certified it after finding no conflicts of interest. ... Some entries on Mnuchin’s 53-page form involve Stormchaser Partners LLC, a film production company owned by Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton.
Mnuchin’s ethics agreement, negotiated when he joined the government, required him to step down from the chairmanship of Stormchaser Partners and divest his own ownership interest in it within 90 days of his confirmation in February 2017. (Mnuchin also agreed to divest dozens of other assets that ethics officials said potentially presented conflicts of interest or the appearance of one.)
....
Mnuchin’s current disclosures show Linton continues to own Stormchaser Partners. Under ethics law, spousal assets are treated identically to assets owned directly by the government official. Therefore, any issues that would have been raised by Mnuchin’s ownership of Stormchaser Partners would also be raised if Linton owns it. ... That means the divestment of Mnuchin’s ownership stake won’t cure any conflicts that arise as long as Linton owns it. This would require Mnuchin to recuse himself if something comes up.
....
The only other Cabinet-level official whose 2018 personal financial disclosure forms have not yet been certified by OGE is Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Late last month, OGE said it would not certify Ross’ forms after finding Ross was not in compliance with his ethics agreement.
.@RonWyden asked Mnuchin questions raised by our reporting at yesterday’s Senate Finance hearing. Mnuchin declined to discuss specifics about his asset divestments, saying that Treasury ethics officials believe he is in compliance.
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