CREW requests OLC memos for OGE and GSA
CREW seeks copies of all opinions prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel (“OLC”) between November 8, 2016, and the present for the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) or the General Services Administration (“GSA”). CREW seeks all guidance prepared by OLC and provided to OGE and GSA formal OLC opinions and informal advice.
The requested records are likely to contribute to the public’s understanding of conflict-of-interest and ethical issues involving President-elect Donald J. Trump and likely members of this incoming administration. Questions also have been raised about applicability of the anti-nepotism statute, to President-elect Trump’s family members, and about a provision in a GSA lease with a company owned by President-elect Trump to operate a hotel in Washington, D.C. in the Old Post Office building that appears to prohibit any elected official of the United States government from benefiting from the lease. OGE is responsible for addressing many of these issues. The requested records are likely to shed light on these significant legal and ethic issues.