Ethics group files complaint against former Pence chief of staff Marc Short

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Marc Short, former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, over failing to file a financial disclosure report when he left office.

CREW alleges that Short violated the Ethics in Government Act (EIGA) and regulations from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) when he failed to file a so-called termination report.

The group said it was looking for the report because Short played a key role in the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and had previously disclosed holding stocks totaling upward of $1.6 million in companies that later became integral to the country’s pandemic response. 

Because of this, CREW said “review of his termination report is critical to maintaining transparency and trust in the federal government.”

The EIGA requires officials like Short to file such disclosures, and allows the OGE to refer individuals who willfully fail to file the report to the Department of Justice.

“Mr. Short’s failure to file appears to be knowing and willful,” CREW asserts in its complaint. 

The group noted that Short previously worked as a senior adviser in the Trump administration before returning to work in Pence’s office as chief of staff in 2019.

CREW is asking the OGE to confirm whether or not Short filed the report, and take “appropriate corrective action, including but not limited to referral of the matter to DOJ.” If Short did file a report, CREW asked the agency to release it to them.

The group further asked for the OGE to conduct a “comprehensive review” to ensure that such reports do not get lost in presidential transitions.