What do top Biden executives Jenn Psaki, Anthony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Anita Dunn, Steve Richetti, Bruce Reed and Cathy Russell all have in common? They each have relatives who were awarded public jobs in the Biden administration.
Now, Barack Obama’s former Director of Government Ethics Walter Shaub is saying enough is enough.
A Washington Post story today revealed that Biden, who said he would not hire his own family members like his predecessor Donald Trump is allowing his top aides to hire their own children instead.
“Although Biden has vowed not to hire his own family, in the first few months of his presidency, at least five children of his top aides have secured coveted jobs in the new administration,” the Post reported.
“I’m sorry, I know some folks don’t like hearing any criticism of him. But this royally sucks. I’m disgusted. A lot of us worked hard to tee him up to restore ethics to government and believed the promises. This is a a real “[expletive] you” to us—and government ethics,” Shaub said. “Let’s play a game. See if you can guess which one of these special assistants at the treasury department has a daddy who’s one of the top aides to the president. See if you can guess the economic background of this privileged white boy.”
What a f-cking failure, he said.
“EVEN THE F-ING HEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL PERSONNEL, WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE KEEPING THEM HONEST, HAS A CHILD WHO’S A RECENT COLLEGE GRAD WORKING IN THE ADMINISTRATION. AND THE SPOUSE OF THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. This is ridiculous. What a [expletive]ing failure,” Schaub continued his rant.
Schaub said the hirings could be a sign of bigger problems ethically for the Biden administration.
“When little problems like this, which are so damn easy to avoid, crop up, it’s a sign of much bigger rot. Because if you can’t even do the easy things, you sure as hell can’t do the hard things,” he added. “The White House’s defense that they had the minimum qualifications is total BS. The issue isn’t whether they were qualified (some weren’t). It’s that a WH that promised diversity is giving these privileged white kids with connected mommies and daddies prime jobs over others! And all the whataboutism from tweeps defending this total BS is just giving fuel to the next corrupt authoritarian like Trump who wins the White House to say…if even Biden was fine with nepotism in his administration, I can do anything.”