Ethics agency sings Trump’s praises on Twitter

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) on Wednesday offered high praise to President-elect Donald Trump for his announcement that he will leave his business and avoid conflicts of interest.

{mosads}Trump tweeted early Wednesday that he would be leaving his “great business in total,” in order to avoid conflicts of interest once sworn into office. Critics expressed concern before and after his announcement about potential conflicts of interest, particularly if Trump leaves his business in the hands of his family.

In a series of tweets, OGE gushed over Trump’s move, writing: “We told your counsel we’d sing your praises if you divested, we meant it.”

In other tweets, the agency wrote “Brilliant! Divestiture is good for you, very good for America!” and “OGE applauds the ‘total’ divestiture decision. Bravo!” The tweets are listed in full below.

In a statement about the tweets, OGE spokesman Seth Jaffe said, “Like everyone else, we were excited this morning to read the President-elect’s twitter feed indicating that he wants to be free of conflicts of interest. OGE applauds that goal, which is consistent with an opinion OGE issued in 1983. Divestiture resolves conflicts of interest in a way that transferring control does not. We don’t know the details of their plan, but we are willing and eager to help them with it.” 

The agency’s praise for Trump was so strong that many on Twitter speculated that OGE’s account was hacked or that it was using biting sarcasm.

The Hill has reached out to OGE for more information about the legitimacy and seriousness of the tweets. 

The OGE is an executive agency dedicated to providing leadership to the president to avoid such conflicts.