Chapter 3 Regulatory Design: The Players

Government ethics regulation is unique among Federal regulatory systems in the number of agencies and other "players" involved in administering the system. As discussed in this chapter, the players include but are not limited to:

• The White House, including Office of White House Counsel
• The Office of Presidential Personnel
• The US Office of Government Ethics
• The Designated Agency Ethics Officials (and other agency specific ethics officials)
• Inspectors General
• Various components of the Justice Department, including the Office of Legal Counsel
• Senate Committees and Staffs
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies involved in background checks and security clearances, including the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
• Every four years, Presidential Transition Teams

The roles of these players intersect and overlap. The bureaucratic "turf" of the various players also overlap. This has a number of effects on the administration of the government ethics system, as well as on the ability of the Executive Branch to "vet" and hire personnel. The "form-driven" element of the government ethic process means that the multiple players also play a role in reviewing documents.Efforts to streamline the structure and process have met with mixed success, and the need for reform is apparent.