'Nepotism is illegal': Obama Ethics Chief lambasts Biden for hiring kids of top aides

Official who worked as Director of Office of Government Ethics (OGE) under former US President Barack Obama has lambasted incumbent US President Joe Biden over his administration’s decision to hire children of top White House aide. In a report, Washington Post on June 18 disclosed that at least five children of Biden’s top aides, including those of state counsellor and deputy chief of staff, started working for White House recently. Soon afterwards, a visibly angered Walter Shaub took to Twitter to call out Biden’s “ridiculous” and “illegal” hiring.

“I’m sorry, I know some folks don’t like hearing any criticism of him. But this royally s***s. I’m disgusted. A lot of us worked hard to tee him up to restore ethics to government and believed the promises. This is a real “f**k you” to us—and government ethics,” he wrote on Twitter.

He went on to liken Biden’s close aides to “MAGAs” and ridiculed them for complaining that Republicans were putting party over the country when they were themselves doing the same. Reckoning that “nepotism is illegal”, he said that the coveted “jobs went to privileged kiddos with mommies & daddies who cozied up to POTUS”.

He then called out Catherine M. Russell, head of Presidential Personnel saying that she was tasked with “keeping them honest” but herself has a recent grad child working in the administration. In his tweet, he further lampooned White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain accusing him of playing a role in his spouse Monica Medina’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Science affairs. “This is ridiculous. What a fu***ng failure,” Shaub wrote in ire.

'highest ethical standards'

In response, deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates maintained that the hires were all qualified for their roles. "The president has instituted the highest ethical standards of anyone to ever hold this office," he said in a statement. "And he's proud to have staffed the most diverse administration in American history with well-qualified public servants who reflect his values." However, Shaub dismissed it stating that "minimum qualifications requirement is total *S," Shaub wrote. 

Credits: AP/Walter Shaub/Facebook