California Congressman Ro Khanna is filing legislation that flips the president’s own slogan back on him and would require White House staff to adhere to rigid anti-corruption protocols after Donald Trump dismantled ethics guidelines put in place by his predecessor.
The “Drain the Swamp Act” would make permanent law the ethics requirements already put in place by executive order, such as prohibitions on lobbyist gifts and “revolving door” restrictions.
“He campaigned on draining the swamp, and then he goes in there and he says, no, lobbyists can give gifts to White House staff,” Khanna said. “What I’m saying is that we must prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts to White House staff, not just this administration, but for all administrations in the future.”
The congressman’s bill is in direct response to Trump’s move to revoke a Biden-era executive order on ethics regulations when he returned to office in January. The legislation would bar appointees from receiving gifts from registered lobbyists, require two-year cooling-off periods for officials entering and leaving government, and prohibit special “golden parachute” contributions from previous employers.
Trump’s campaign business – selling everything from gold-plated sneakers to diamond watches and branded Bibles – reflected a trend of profiteering off of political clout that Khanna’s bill seeks to combat at the governmental level. The White House’s recent easing of ethics guidelines is in contrast to his initial administration, when he first took away a five-year lobbying ban on outgoing officials – only to overturn those very same prohibitions on his last days in office in 2020.
Khanna, one of a group of Congress members who accepts no political action committee and lobbyist contributions, said what he observes is hypocrisy in the current government.
We began with a meme coin. I mean, that was the most egregious violation. That’s like having a Swiss bank account in place, where individuals can simply purchase your meme coin, the world isn’t aware of it, and they can approach you and prove that they did it,” Khanna said. “There is a complete regression on ethics standards, and, of course, the politicization of the civil service.”
Though still in very preliminary stages, the intention would be to have the public integrity section of the justice department lead the way if the bill is passed, Khanna said.
But the bill seems to be mum on independent oversight mechanisms that would be immune to presidential pressure. And with Republicans holding the House, Senate and White House trifecta, the legislation has long-shot chances of moving forward without the blessing of Trump allies on Capitol Hill. Without bipartisan support, legislative attempts to reinstate or strengthen ethics rules may have a hard time moving forward.
Nevertheless, Khanna is adamant that Democrats need to recapture anti-corruption as a signature cause.
“We have to be the party that puts money out of politics, puts the special influence out of politics, opposes corruption,”
he said.
“We allowed Trump to appropriate those themes of draining the swamp when it’s complete hypocrisy.”
