Thread by @weareoversight

HAPPENING NOW: Join us for a liveblog event as we discuss rooting out government corruption.

Tweet using the hashtag #accountability2021 to ask a question you’d like the experts to answer.
americanoversight.org/a2021-liveblog

Here's the first question the panelists are addressing:
#accountability2021

Jennifer Ahearn from @CREWcrew says that "lack of transparency is a big contributing factor here."
americanoversight.org/a2021-liveblog

Delaney Marsco from @CampaignLegal discusses the complex reasons for the public's distrust in government.

"We should take actions to give the public confidence that the people who claim to work for the public actually do." #accountability2021

Ufuoma Otu from @OpenTheGov asks the next question: What is a “win” your organization has had exposing corruption? How does this “win” help explain how government corruption happens in the real world and tangible ways to fight it?
americanoversight.org/a2021-liveblog

American Oversight's executive director @AREvers discusses how AO forced the EPA to release months of Administrator Scott Pruitt's calendars.

"The calendars revealed how Pruitt spent his time: almost *exclusively* with polluters and regulated industry, and effectively never with environmentalists or impacted communities. Who was Scott Pruitt working for? The bias was in black and white."

.@CREWcrew's Jennifer Ahearn writes about helping to prevent former President Trump from hosting the G-7 meeting at his own resort property and the importance of the Freedom of Information Act. #accountability2021

.@CampaignLegal's Delaney Marsco talks more about #FOIA and uncovering repeated violations of revolving door ethics prohibitions by six Interior Department senior appointees.

"As far as how to fight against this sort of corruption: more transparency surrounding officials’ conflicts of interest, calendars, and visitor logs would allow us to timely catch any violations and hold officials accountable before they leave office."

Austin Evers also highlights American Oversight's work on exposing how Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was using her position to favor her family's business and her husband -- Mitch McConnell.
americanoversight.org/transportation…

Next question from @OpenTheGov:

Austin Evers mentions the Accountability 2021 platform: "A big coalition of good government organizations worked together to highlight tangible ways to make corruption harder."
accountability2021.org/ethics/

From the #accountability2021 report:
accountability2021.org/ethics/

Next question: Does Biden's ethics executive order address our most significant ethics challenges?

Jennifer Ahearn says "issues with industry influence over government decisions that are made at federal agencies, not necessarily by the President directly, are the most 'commonplace' corruption issues we face."

.@DelaneyMarsco adds: I also think it's really hard to know what we don't know! We have a lot of great groups working incredibly hard to uncover corruption, but we need enhanced transparency & the reprioritization of ethics and accountability at the highest levels of government.

.@AREvers says that while the Biden EO is a big step forward, "the very fact that Biden had to issue it at all is a big sign of what could be better: These rules should be laws!" Jennifer adds that "we need to be able to rely on ethical government no matter who’s in charge!"

"We need better laws on the books, better enforcement, and more transparency. The executive order, while good, far from guarantees some of the most important and necessary reforms that will ensure an accountable government that works for everyone," says .@DelaneyMarsco.

Austin Evers mentions that one potential area of reform is the scope of who is considered a "lobbyist."

Here are the articles he mentions:
accountability2021.org/principle-6/

pogo.org/analysis/2021/…

Next question from Ufuoma Otu at @OpenTheGov:

Advocacy groups are urging the Biden administration to relaunch Ethics.gov this week. How would that help revitalize ethics in government and orchestrate some of the recommendations you've outlined here?

Justine Ellis from @CREWcrew writes that ethics.gov is a "potential force multiplier" for the kinds of wins the panelists previously discussed.

"Right now, too much information is spread out across different websites and systems, making it hard to connect important dots. Groups like ours would spend less time gathering dots and more time connecting them," says @AREvers.

.@DelaneyMarsco adds: "Ethics.gov would give watchdogs and the public at large information it needs to root out corruption: financial disclosures, ethics waivers, and officials' other connections that may raise revolving door concerns or show special treatment."

Another benefit of ethics.gov: it would "reduce incorrect conclusions that corruption must be occurring. Secrecy and the lack of transparency trigger skepticism and cynicism."

Next question: "If you had a meeting with the president, what is the number one recommendation you’d urge him to adopt in the next 100 days?"

Here are the responses:

#accountability2021

The next question was submitted via social media:
How did the disinvestment requirements for government employees become optional for so many in the last administration? What can be done to improve even enforcement?

Here's how the panelists responded.

Thanks so much for following along! Read the full liveblog discussion here:
americanoversight.org/a2021-liveblog