Office of Government Ethics

The Office of Government Ethics oversees ethical standards for the White House Office, the Executive Office of the President, and for the executive branch departments. It was created by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. The director is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for a five-year term. Every two years the director submits to Congress a report about implementation of ethics laws.

The Office of Government Ethics develops rules and regulations regarding standards of conduct, identification of conflicts of interest, and financial disclosure in consultation with the attorney general and the Office of Personnel Management. They are officially promulgated by the President, and the Office of Government Ethics then supervises compliance by providing government officials with advisory letters and formal advisory opinions that deal with their particular situations.

See also Ethics; Executive Office of the President; White House Office

Sources

• Terry Eastland, Energy in the Executive: The Case for the Strong Presidency (New York: Free Press, 1992)