Democratic lawmakers ask watchdogs to probe whether former lobbyists serving in Trump administration violated ethics rules

Four Democratic members of Congress are asking the top internal watchdogs at 16 different federal agencies to investigate whether former lobbyists appointed by the Trump administration may have violated ethics rules to benefit their own former clients.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Andy Kim of New Jersey and Reps. Pat Ryan of New York and Deborah Ross of North Carolina wrote to the inspectors general to raise concerns about a variety of former lobbyists-turned-government officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, border czar Tom Homan, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“While federal ethics law directs federal employees not to work on matters involving clients they represented in the past year, we are concerned that some Trump administration officials may have nevertheless done so,” the four lawmakers wrote.

“And even when they comply with that minimal requirement, after a mere 12 months, their former-client relationships often remain fresh enough to improperly sway their decision-making.”

They sent the letter to the inspectors general at 16 different agencies, including the Justice Department, the Pentagon, the Treasury Department, the State Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency.

As of April 2025, there were at least 21 former lobbyists who were appointed to key leadership roles in the government, according to a report by the Campaign Legal Center.

Federal ethics rules generally bar government employees for one year from working on matters involving their former employers or clients. During Mr. Trump’s first term in office, he extended the recusal period to two years, though he has not issued any sort of ethics pledge during his second term in office.

Before joining the Trump administration, both Bondi and Wiles worked for the lobbying firm Ballard Partners. 

Since Bondi took over the helm of the Justice Department, the lawmakers allege that some of Ballard’s clients have received favorable treatment. The department dropped its opposition, for example, to the American Express-GBT merger, the letter says.

The lawmakers also noted that Ballard was retained by both Paramount and Netflix as they both seek to merge with Warner Brothers Discovery. Paramount is the parent company that owns CBS News.

Duffy, meanwhile, used to work as a lobbyist for BGR Group and represented the Partnership for Fair and Open Skies, the lawmaker said. The lawmakers said that since Duffy’s confirmation, BGR has “expanded its DOT lobbying roster to 19 clients,” from 14 during the Biden administration.

Wiles also previously worked for Mercury Public Affairs — a firm the lawmakers noted reported lobbying the White House for 26 different clients in 2025, the letter says.

The letter also cites concerns about Homan, who until last year was the target of an FBI bribery investigation in which sources say he recorded accepting a bag with $50,000 in cash from an undercover FBI agent as an alleged payment in exchange for future government contracts, sources previously confirmed to CBS News.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche later publicly acknowledged the existence of the investigation and said it was closed after the FBI found “no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.” 

Homan has also separately denied any wrongdoing and claimed he did not accept any money. 

Spokespeople for the Justice Department, the White House and the Department of Transportation could not be immediately reached for comment.