Democrats on Capitol Hill say it’s time for Jamieson Greer to select the job he loves most.
Greer is President Donald Trump’s U.S. trade consultant, chargeable for steering the nation by what’s shaping as much as be a tariff-fueled world commerce battle. However Greer can also be serving because the appearing head of two different businesses, the Workplace of Particular Counsel and the Workplace of Authorities Ethics.
These are vital jobs, at the very least beneath a standard administration. The OSC is tasked with defending authorities whistleblowers, and the OGE is chargeable for imposing ethics guidelines within the government department. It could be rather a lot for Greer to juggle on prime of his commerce gig, particularly as Trump’s tariffs melt down monetary markets, immediate retaliation from different nations and lift the probability of a recession.
4 Home Democrats, led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), sent a letter to Greer on Wednesday telling him it was time to drop his facet hustles and concentrate on being the nation’s prime commerce official — a “singular” function at a time when “the stakes couldn’t be greater.” They mentioned carrying three completely different hats throughout the administration not solely creates conflicts of curiosity however makes it unimaginable to do anyone job properly.
“Taking up at the very least two different jobs is misguided and a disservice to the general public.”
– Democrats of their letter to Jamieson Greer
“Since President Trump has launched a worldwide commerce battle, it’s important that you simply stay targeted on fulfilling the duties for which you have been confirmed by the US Senate,” Pressley wrote, joined by Reps. Don Beyer (Va.), Linda Sánchez (Calif.) and Gerry Connolly (Va.). “Taking up at the very least two different jobs is misguided and a disservice to the general public who count on a reliable and efficient USTR, OSC, and OGE.”
The Senate confirmed Greer, a commerce lawyer who served within the first Trump administration, because the U.S. commerce consultant on Feb. 26. In the meantime, the Workplace of Authorities Ethics at the moment lists Greer as appearing director on its web site.
A spokesperson for the Workplace of Particular Counsel confirmed Greer is main the company, however didn’t handle how a lot time he’s been placing in on the workplace. They referred inquiries to the Workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant.
Greer positively wasn’t working on the particular counsel’s workplace or the federal government ethics workplace on Tuesday morning ― he was busy testifying on the commerce battle earlier than a Senate panel.
AP Photograph/Mark Schiefelbein
It’s unlikely this administration needs a functioning particular counsel workplace, because it’s considered one of a handful that protects the labor rights of federal staff — partially by in search of the reinstatement of those that have been fired or disciplined illegally. Trump created the opening at OSC when he eliminated the earlier particular counsel, Hampton Dellinger, in early February.
Dellinger sued on the grounds his firing was unlawful, and received a decide’s order permitting him to maintain his place. However he later dropped his case after an appeals court docket allowed his firing to proceed.
Pressley and her colleagues puzzled how the OSC may fulfill its mission if its appearing director was additionally operating commerce coverage at such a important time.
“With the present onslaught of assaults, layoffs, and firings of presidency staff, OSC’s work has tremendously elevated in significance and amount,” they wrote.
An aggressive Workplace of Authorities Ethics wouldn’t be excessive on this administration’s precedence checklist, both. The OGE is chargeable for stopping conflicts of curiosity beneath a president who lately advertised Tesla cars for his billionaire backer Elon Musk on the White Home grounds.
In early February, Trump fired the impartial workplace’s director who’d been appointed by former President Joe Biden to a five-year time period.
“Since coming into the presidency, the Trump Administration has been the topic of dozens of ethics complaints that require severe consideration,” the Democrats famous of their letter.
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They put a lot of inquiries to Greer, together with what number of hours he’s working on the completely different workplaces, whether or not he’s received another jobs they don’t find out about, and if he’s recused himself from any whistleblower or ethics circumstances involving the Workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant. They urged him to resign his non-trade positions instantly.
“Something much less fails to satisfy the moral {and professional} requirements required to protect the independence and effectiveness of each workplaces,” they wrote.
