New watchdog report shatters Biden-Harris narrative about ethics, 'transparency': 'Just a myth'

A new report from a nonpartisan watchdog alleges that the Biden administration has fallen significantly short of its claim to be the most "transparent" in history.

Oct 31, 2024 - 14:00
New watchdog report shatters Biden-Harris narrative about ethics, 'transparency': 'Just a myth'

FIRST ON FOX: A new report from a government watchdog organization is blasting the Biden-Harris administration’s claims that it is the "most ethical and transparent" administration in history, calling it a "myth."

"From its onset, the Biden-Harris administration promised to ‘bring transparency and truth back to government,’ per then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki," the 26-page report from Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) states.

"Psaki also claimed that President Joe Biden ‘is committed to ensuring we have the most ethically vigorous administration in history.’ However, the administration and its executive branch agencies have often failed to live up to these high ideals, and the myth of a scandal-free administration is just that: a myth."

The report outlines alleged ethics violations throughout the Biden administration from the White House, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Interior, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, State Department and other various complaints.

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In the Biden White House, the report outlines alleged ethics issues with the Office of White House Counsel (WHCO) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), including allegations that Biden’s White House lawyers were acting as his personal attorneys amid the investigation into mishandling of classified documents.

The report also suggests that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has violated the Hatch Act, along with White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, and raises concerns about former press secretary Psaki's "apparent conflict of interest while looking to leave federal service for a high-salary television job."

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In the portion of the report that discusses President Biden's HHS, the report says "no agency has lost so much credibility during the Biden-Harris administration" as HHS.

"As it took the reins amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris HHS disregarded ethical and scientific integrity principles as it issued farreaching recommendations governing nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives," the report states. "PPT exposed a number of potential violations and filed several complaints against appointees in the department and its component agencies to help preserve what little remains of the public’s trust."

The report outlines how Biden's Department of Interior (DOI) "has a record of cutting ethical corners in favor of special interest policies" and that the Department of Energy has given DOI a "run for its money" with its own questionable ethics decisions.

"Ethics issues in the Biden-Harris administration didn’t end with Hunter Biden and the president’s family," Michael Chamberlain, Director of Protect the Public’s Trust, told Fox News Digital. "Despite their claims to be the most ethical in history, we’ve documented possible ethics violations in most of the Cabinet-level agencies, including confirmed Hatch Act violations, conflicts of interest, and all the hazards that come with having a revolving door between official D.C. and well-connected activist groups."

"While others have found similar Biden-Harris breaches, they are not the groups and media outlets that were so enthusiastic about uncovering problems in the last administration. Just because the public hasn’t heard much about these in the legacy media, we caution everyone to beware of future attempts to paint this as a ‘scandal-free’ administration," he added.

The report concludes by saying many of their documented complaints have led to "investigations by Inspectors General, the Office of Special Counsel or other investigative bodies, or prompting letters from Congressional committees."

"As is often the case when it comes to government, sunlight is the best disinfectant," the report concluded. "The light we have shone on these incidents may be useful when revisionist historians begin twisting their tales in the coming years, to help expose the myth of a ‘scandal-free’ administration as just that: a myth."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.