White House grants ethics waivers to 14 staffers

WASHINGTON – A former oil and gas lobbyist will soon be a top energy and environmental adviser to President Trump and a former financial company professional is clear to work on tax, retirement and financial issues, according to waivers granted by the White House.

Michael Catanzaro, a former lobbyist for CGCN Group, whose clients included an Oklahoma oil and gas company, and Shahira Knight, who worked for Fidelity, are two of the four former registered lobbyists to receive White House waivers.

They were also granted for ten others whose work may intersect with their previous jobs.

Catanzaro is an open skeptic of climate change, having penned several pieces for Human Events, including one stating that there is no connection between global warming and extreme weather.”

Trump, who has made “draining the swamp” in Washington a central theme, signed ethics rules earlier this year that barred any lawyers and lobbyists joining the administration from working on matters that involved their former clients.

The disclosure of these waivers was forced by the White House and the Office of Government Ethics and congressional Democrats who demanded a list of former lobbyists now employed by the administration.

Trump, unlike President Barack Obama, made no commitment to disclose whether his administration is granting any waivers to that provision or other parts of his ethics order.

Obama voluntarily posted his waivers on his website.

Contributing: Fredreka Schouten