Trump fired Office of Government Ethics Director David Huitema without explanation; OGE reverted to acting director

On February 10, 2025, President Trump fired David Huitema as director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), notifying him via a brief email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office with no explanation given. The OGE confirmed the removal on its website, noting the agency would revert to an acting director.

Huitema had been nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in November 2024, beginning work in December—months into a five-year statutory term designed to overlap administrations and provide independence from the White House. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 created OGE specifically as a nonpartisan check on executive branch conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, and ethics compliance for all executive branch employees. Its director's five-year term was intended to insulate the office from the political pressure that would compromise independent oversight.

The firing came three days after Trump removed Office of Special Counsel Director Hampton Dellinger and followed the January 24 mass removal of 17 inspectors general—together eliminating three principal independent watchdog mechanisms covering the executive branch within three weeks. Common Cause noted Huitema's removal "weakens government oversight" at precisely the moment the new administration's conflicts of interest were under public scrutiny.