Trump's controversial Cabinet picks raise questions about lower ethical standards; ABC News, December 4, 2024

 Ivan Pereira, ABC News; Trump's controversial Cabinet picks raise questions about lower ethical standards

"Queen said there is a possibility that some Republican senators may put ethics before partisanship when all is said and done.

"It's not unreasonable to assume that there are a number of senators who realize there will be consequences of their choices and their decisions that it will be bad for the country as a whole," he said.

In the long term, Hanson said it is unclear if Trump's selections will usher in a new norm of presidential picks who buck ethics and experience standards.

He noted that American history has shown several cycles of reform brought on by demand of a public frustrated with dysfunction and improper behavior, such as in the aftermath of the Nixon administration in the 1970s.

"Now that they see what is happening, they may be reminded what the Trump presidency was like the first time around," he said of Americans who supported him. "There may be a bunch of people who say this is not what I voted for, and that could affect things tremendously."

Spinner-Halev said the future will depend on how informed the public is over the next four years.

"There is a lot that happens in Washington that's not in the public eye, and I think it's important that the public keeps an eye on the bureaucratic ongoings," he said."

Gallup poll finds most Americans give Biden administration a negative ethics score; The Hill, August 3, 2023

 ALEX GANGITANO, The Hill; Gallup poll finds most Americans give Biden administration a negative ethics score

"Americans rate the ethics of the Biden administration more negatively than positively, with only 42 percent of people giving it a positive rating, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

The 42 percent ethics score given to the “top Biden administration officials,” in the poll’s language, is just above the 37- and 38-percent scores given to former President Trump’s top officials during his administration. The poll is the first ethics assessment from Gallup since President Biden took office.

The poll found that 34 percent of Americans find the Biden officials’ ethics standards good, and 37 percent find them poor. Among Democrats, 84 percent rated the Biden administrations’ ethics as excellent or good, while only 6 percent of Republicans gave them that rating."

Chief Justice Says Supreme Court Is Working to Address Ethics Questions; The New York Times, May 24, 2023

 Adam Liptak, The New York Times; Chief Justice Says Supreme Court Is Working to Address Ethics Questions

"Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said on Tuesday night that he and his colleagues on the Supreme Court were continuing to take steps to address questions about the justices’ ethical standards amid a barrage of allegations of misconduct and a push by some lawmakers to tighten the rules.

“I want to assure people that I am committed to making certain that we as a court adhere to the highest standards of conduct,” he said. “We are continuing to look at things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment, and I am confident that there are ways to do that consistent with our status as an independent branch of government and the Constitution’s separation of powers.”

Chief Justice Roberts turned down an invitation last month to testify before a Senate committee, citing the “exceedingly rare” nature of such an appearance, as lawmakers push for ethics changes at the court. A series of revelations about unreported gifts, travel and real estate deals between Justice Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire and Republican donor, has shaken the court, though all nine justices have defended their existing rules."

Biden Picks Lawyers Tasked With Undoing Trump Ethics Legacy; Bloomberg Law, January 11, 2021

 Courtney Rozen, Dean Scott, Bloomberg Law; Biden Picks Lawyers Tasked With Undoing Trump Ethics Legacy 

"President-elect Joe Biden named more than 20 lawyers to his White House counsel’s office, where they will help the new president revise ethics standards and put his imprint on the federal bench.

The attorneys draw on expertise in civil rights, health, and environmental law, all topics that Biden has also said will be focal points in his administration."