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Good govt. groups raise questions about new White House ethics czar
When the Obama administration announced last month that Norm Eisen, the specially appointed White House "czar" for ethics and transparency, was leaving to become the ambassador to the Czech Republic, advocates of campaign finance reform and "good government" groups in Washington took the news hard. They describe Eisen's tenure as a "dream come true," and worry that no one will adequately fill his shoes.
When they learned two weeks ago that White House counsel Bob Bauer would take over for Eisen, that sadness turned to angry disbelief. "Bob Bauer doesn't have the DNA to be an ethics czar," charges Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, echoing a complaint common among advocates for greater transparency in government. "He's always defended the ability of special interests to put money into campaigns."
Bill Allison, who works for the Sunlight Foundation, said: "Bauer has used his expertise as an attorney to push the ethical limits as far as possible and try to keep people who clearly did unethical behavior out of trouble. And by pushing the limits of how these rules are interpreted, he's paved the way for more unethical outcomes." Unlike Eisen, who was popularly described as "Mr. No." around Washington, "Bauer cares about doing the things you can get away with."