Schumer Urges Senate Republicans To Follow Guidance of Independent Office of Government Ethics, Set Fair Hearing Schedule for Cabinet Nominees

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the following statement in response to Senator McConnell's comments regarding cabinet nominees on CBS' Face the Nation:

"The Office of Government Ethics, a nonpartisan, independent government watchdog, has expressed serious reservations about the cabinet confirmations schedule that Republicans are pursuing. No administration, Republican or Democrat, has tried to do what these Republicans are trying to do with their nominees. Rather than ensuring that nominees are thoroughly vetted and will remove themselves from conflicts of interests, Senate Republicans are trying to ram them through as quickly as possible.  Instead, Republicans should work with Democrats to establish a fair, deliberate hearing schedule that includes all the necessary ethics agreements and background checks required in the vetting process.?

"This is not an issue that pits Republicans against Democrats - it pits Republicans against all Americans and an independent ethics agency that is tasked with ensuring the President's cabinet follows the law. Until these nominees have fully cooperated with the ethics review process, the hearings and confirmation schedule should not be rushed."