Sheldon Whitehouse ‘dark-money corruption’ hypocrisy revealed in ethics complaint: expert
Legal experts are pointing out what they say is hypocrisy as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., faces an ethics complaint over a potential conflict of interest that resulted in millions of dollars in federal grants for a nonprofit associated with his wife.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has built his political career on accusing others of dark money corruption, is now under scrutiny for his own alleged ethical violations. This has led to accusations of hypocrisy from legal experts and former government officials.
Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, called Whitehouse’s actions “the height of hypocrisy.” Brett Tolman, former U.S. attorney and executive director of Right On Crime, also criticized Whitehouse, saying, “Sen. Whitehouse is a former US attorney and the self-proclaimed watchdog of dark money.”
The controversy stems from Whitehouse’s support for legislation that provided millions of dollars in funding for grants to the environmental nonprofit group Ocean Conservancy, which employs his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, through a consulting firm. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an ethics watchdog, has called for an investigation into whether Whitehouse violated Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest.
Legal experts have weighed in on the matter, with some calling for the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate the allegations against Whitehouse. Thomas Jipping, senior legal fellow with the Heritage Foundation, said that the Ethics Committee should take action, as the complaint from FACT presents specific facts that support a potential conflict of interest.
Ocean Conservancy has received over $14.2 million in federal grants since 2008, with Whitehouse voting in favor of legislation that provided funding for these grants. Sandra Whitehouse, who is president of consulting firm Ocean Wonks LLC, has been paid through her association with Ocean Conservancy.
Despite Whitehouse’s history of accusing conservative Supreme Court justices of ethical wrongdoing, some legal experts believe that the allegations against him are serious and warrant investigation. Attorney Bradley P. Moss, however, expressed skepticism about the conflict of interest claims, suggesting that they may be a stretch.
The situation has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in Washington, D.C., with some experts pointing to other instances, such as engineers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX assisting the Federal Aviation Administration in modernizing air traffic control.
In the midst of these allegations, Whitehouse’s case presents an opportunity for the Ethics Committee to demonstrate its nonpartisanship. The committee has yet to comment on the matter, but the calls for an investigation into Whitehouse’s actions continue to grow.
Overall, the controversy surrounding Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in government, as well as the need for lawmakers to uphold ethical standards in their conduct.
