She was also a paid adviser for President Donald Trump’s campaign, and in May 2017 was hired as the Interior Department’s White House liaison . Like other government agencies, the Interior Department requires employees to recuse themselves from matters that present conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts. The federal standards of conduct provide more flexibility than the president’s ethics pledge when it comes to government employees meeting with former employers. It’s unclear what role Mashburn played at these events or if Interior Department ethics officials gave Mashburn approval to participate, and on what grounds if so. The White House can and has granted waivers that exempt appointees from certain portions of federal ethics rules.

Source: Huffington Post March 08, 2018 19:30 UTC