Ethics refer to the accepted code of behavior and conduct of a society. It is the moral truth that governs the conduct of a person in the society. Ethical issues are the diverse opinions and options that need a consensus to be termed as right or wrong in a given society. The take of the oath of office of the United States’ President Donald Trump meant that he would uphold the constitution and rule of law, and protect democracy and sovereignty of the Americans.
On taking office, different issues have emerged regarding the conduct of his White House officials, thus raising concern from the public. President Trump’s white house scandals have been in the news almost throughout his term where high level officials have been accused of wasting taxpayers money when they travel for work, misuse of power for personal gain, and nepotism in hiring of staff. The president himself is involved in these practices by for instance his giving his daughter and son- in- law white house jobs even when they have had no notable experience in the past (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018).
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Many top officials of the president including those in his cabinet have been accused of unethical conduct. For example, Scott Pruitt who deals with fossil fuel interests and is bent on destroying the Environmental Protection Agency has recently been nicknamed Mr. First Class (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018). This is because on several of his trips, his aides say that he claims that he must fly first class because he is not safe in the economy class. He also does not wish to interact with uncivil people and prefers to travel at the front in the cabin. He has used department capital at the expense of his comforts, for example in one particular instance when a short trip between Washington and New York cost $ 1641 (Levin, 2018). This is unethical practice because that is not what the resources of the state are meant for, to feed the personal greed and paranoia of one man. I bet that if he was to pay for the trip himself, Pruitt would be very comfortable in economy. This is evident in the in his refusal to submit tax returns to business people.
Earlier this month, David Shulkin who is the secretary of the Department of Veteran affairs had trouble explaining why his wife’s travel expenses of $4300 to Europe had been covered by the government (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018). Shulkin’s wife was apparently accompanying him for what was meant to be a trip to attend a conference regarding veteran issues but instead the couple spent half the trip touring places like the Buckingham palace in London (BBC News, 2018). He also wrongly accepted tickets to watch a tennis match at Wimbledon. An aide under Shulkin also doctored emails to justify the government-funded trip. He now has to repay the travel cost for his wife and the price for the tickets (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018).
The conduct of this government official is unethical because he has been entrusted with the responsibility to manage taxpayer’s money to help the public. Veterans are a group of people that have given so much for the country and they deserve to be given quality care in return. When an official uses the money to cater for his personal needs at their expense, it is immoral. It is also unethical the lengths to which Shulkin had his aides go to cover up the issue which means that he knew he was doing something wrong but did it anyway.
The secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development has recently been accused of hiring his family members to work for him. In one particular instance, Carson let his son organize a ‘listening tour’ for him in Baltimore which would benefit his son as he and his wife wanted to conduct business dealings with some people who were invited. Carson did this despite warnings from department lawyers that it was unethical and could portray the situation as the secretary using his position to help his son’s personal gain ( Eilperin & Gillum, 2018) . The secretary however claimed that he and his family were not at fault and that they were being attacked by the media (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018). This is unethical conduct especially considering that Mr. Carson had already been advised against it. A public office is not given to one so they can help their family advance in life and besides, equal chances should be given to all qualifies persons to fill positions that help the government execute its purpose.
This is just a short list of such activities that have been reported within the government. These acts of government require deep scrutiny to find their relationship with the terms of oath since they show a conflict of interest and duty in relation to ethical conduct and misconduct. Many people in the government today seemed to have chosen personal gain and defecting from democracy and the rule of law. This does not promote equality for all and even leads to harm too the people who are meant to benefit from the funds that are being misused hence raising the question of ethical practice and why it is not being followed.
The president himself acts as a role model for his corrupt officials because when he refuses for instance to disclose his private finances which may conflict with his position as president, he shows them that they can do the same (The NY Times Editorial Board, 2018). Therefore, these are unethical and should be addressed to encourage equality and promotion of democracy other than favoritism and family support.
References
BBC News. (2018). Trump official's Wimbledon trip 'corrupt? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43063940
Eiperin, J., & Gillum, J. (2018). 'Using his position for private gain?: Ben Carson was warned he might run afoul of ethics rules by enlisting his son. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/using-his-position-for-private-gain-hud-lawyers-warned-ben-carson-risked-running-afoul-of-ethics-rules-by-enlisting-son/2018/01/31/bb20c48e-0532-11e8-8777-2a059f168dd2_story.html?utm_term=.ac97d292d2e8
Levin, B. (2018). Scott Pruitt Has to Fly First Class Because Coach Is 'Politically Toxic? Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/scott-pruitt-has-to-fly-first-class-because-coach-is-politically-toxic
The NY Times Editorial Board. (2018). Opinion | Trump's 'Best People? and Their Dubious Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/opinion/trump-best-people-ethics.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEthics
