Latest Developments:
- New Trump Ethics Agreement: The Trump Organization has issued a new ethics agreement that it said would govern how President Trump and his family would conduct themselves over the next four years to avoid conflicts of interest. These provisions include appointing an outside ethics lawyer to review major family business transactions worth more than $10 million, keeping assets Mr. Trump owns in a trust, and limiting his access to detailed financial information about the company. However, the Trump family is agreeing only to “no new transactions with foreign governments” rather than pledging to halt any new international real estate deals.
- Rescission of Ethics Executive Order: The Trump White House rescinded Executive Order 13989, which was issued by President Biden in 2021 and requires new appointees to sign and be contractually committed to the ethics pledge outlined in the order. The pledge prohibited presidential appointees from accepting certain gifts from registered lobbyists and lobbying organizations, and from participating in matters involving specific parties directly and substantially related to a former employer for two years after the date of appointment.
- FPPC Releases “Heat Map”: California’s Fair Political Practices Commission has produced a “heat map” that details the location of every case the FPPC prosecuted in 2024, with links allowing users to view information about each case that was prosecuted in all given counties, including the approved stipulation.
- Levine Act Derails Real Estate Project in Sonoma County: The North Bay Business Journal reports that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors removed from its agenda a vote on a $114 million real estate deal after county attorneys received a letter from an attorney representing Service Employees International Union Local 1021. The SEIU alleges that the board’s longest serving incumbent and the 2024 chair allegedly participated in closed-session discussions about the properties in question after receiving a campaign contribution from the agent of one of the involved brokerage firms.
Reminders:
- In the new year, and often in two-year election cycles, agencies continue to adjust limits. For example, the Federal Election Commission has announced new contribution limits for 2025-2026; individuals and non-multicandidate PACs may now donate $3,500 per election to candidate committees, and party committee amounts have also increased. Clients will see updated limits reflected in the legal summaries on our client portal.
In Case You Missed It:
- Mechanics of Oakland Bribery Indictment: The San Francisco Chronicle detailed the allegations against former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao, who has been federally indicted for bribery involving campaign donations and for paying Thao’s boyfriend $95,000 in “fees” for fraudulent work.
- Resignation of Key Ethics Official: Reuters reports that Corey Amundson, the U.S. Justice Department’s senior career official in charge of overseeing public corruption and other politically sensitive investigations, resigned after the Trump administration tried to reassign him to a new role working on immigration issues.
- Biden Pardons Campaign Finance Conviction: The Kentucky Lantern reports that former President Joseph R. Biden pardoned a former Kentucky state Democratic Party chief after he was convicted and sentenced to prison for making illegal contributions to the failed U.S. Senate campaign of his daughter, former Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, and for causing the concealment of those contributions from the Federal Election Commission.
- Montana Senate Investigates its Former President: From the Montana Free Press, the Montana Senate will conduct an ethics investigation into a $170,100 government contract brokered late last year by former Senate President Jason Ellsworth with his business associate. The agreement was divided into two to keep it under the $100,000 threshold requiring competitive bidding and a more rigorous process, but the law specifically prohibits that action.
- Mayor Johnson under Fire over Gift Access: As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson is being investigated after the city’s Office of the Inspector General was repeatedly denied access to a room containing gifts accepted by the city, which include designer merchandise and a 2023 U.S. national soccer team jersey. Mayor Johnson’s response was, “If people want a tour of this room, I’ll sign up, because I’ve never been to it myself.”