Letter: Trump tone deaf on ethics

News coverage throughout the presidential campaign and now the first few weeks of this administration has paid considerable attention to ethical issues. These include full disclosure of conflicts of interest surrounding President Donald Trump, his family, White House staff and cabinet appointees.

The existence of these conflicts is not new to Washington, but the extent of the issues and the administration’s treatment of them is of grave concern, and bodes poorly for the remainder to the president’s tenure.

We all subscribe to a code of ethics that defines our adherence to moral principles and governs our beliefs and actions. For government officials and the White House, ethical standards are established, codified and enforced so we can have faith in the integrity of elected officials and our institutions.

However, failure to disclose tax returns by the president, identifying potential conflicts; failure to completely extricate himself from the Trump business empire; less than adequate vetting of cabinet nominees; failure to admonish staff for less than truthful disclosure; and public promotion of family interests, all represent ethical warning flags.

Maintaining ethical standards in any organization, public or private, starts with leadership. Leaders establish the “tone at the top” with which ethics are prioritized. Leaders lead by example.

I fear President Trump is tone deaf.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Letter: Trump tone deaf on ethics."