Statecraft

Priebus, Conway among White House staffers who got ethics waivers

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway were two of 11 Trump administration staffers who received ethics waivers, according to a list made public Wednesday evening. 

In addition to the 11 named staffers, the list also noted that so-called "blanket" waivers were given to all appointees in the Executive Office of the President (EOP), commissioned officers in the White House Office and former employees of the law firm Jones Day, including White House Counsel Don McGahn.

The EOP waiver states that all presidential appointees "may participate in communications and meetings with news organizations regarding broad policy matters." That clears the way, ethically, for Steve Bannon, Breitbart's former chief executive and now Trump's chief strategist, to ring up reporters at the news site.

Priebus, the former head of the Republican National Committee, is permitted to "participate in communications and meetings involving the [RNC]." Conway, Trump's former pollster, is allowed to "participate in communications and meetings involving former clients which are political, advocacy, trade, or non-profit organizations."