further it appears the decks had been cleared for staff, cab. members etc. to attend.
The proposed Post salons didn't violate W.H. ethics rules
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Obama touted his executive order as the strictest government ethics policy ever when he signed it on his first full day in office, but less than three weeks later, the independent agency tasked with implementing the order, the Office of Government Ethics, in consultation with the counsel’s office, issued a little-noticed memo inserting a number of exemptions into the order’s provision banning gifts – including meals and tickets – from lobbyists.
Among the exemptions were gifts from media organizations – even those that employ lobbyists, like the Post does. The memo cited “the unique constitutional role of the press in gathering and disseminating information” but also the desire to protect administration official’s ability to attend “certain press dinners,” presumably referring to the annual black-tie soirees thrown by the White House Correspondents' Association and the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association.
In explaining the White House’s position on the Post dinners, LaBolt said that “making administration officials available for discussion is in the public interest, and the policy does not prevent them from participating in events and forums simply because an audience is limited in scope. But administration officials may not participate in events in which an organization attempts to buy access or to exploit them for financial gain.”
The White House, however, declined to answer questions about whether the counsel’s office reviewed an invitation that Weymouth had sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Katharine Sebelius to the first of the planned dinners, scheduled for July 21 and built around the theme of health care. It also declined to discuss whether any other administration officials sought approval to attend either the Post’s salon or other media-sponsored events, or whether the counsel’s office had approved officials’ participation in previous events, such as the Future of Finance Initiative conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal in March. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and economic adviser Larry Summers spoke at that conference.
The proposed Post salons didn't violate W.H. ethics rules - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com