Despite Calls To ‘Drain The Swamp,’ Trump Revoked Anti-Lobbying Executive Order Before Leaving Office

Before he left office, outgoing President Donald Trump revoked an executive order he signed himself in 2017 that prohibited former White House officials from lobbying for five years after leaving office.

The now-revoked order, the Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees rule, was touted by Trump as one of his first accomplishments to “drain the swamp” of federal lobbying. With the revocation of the order, Trump’s own former White House officials now are allowed to lobby without restrictions.

Trump’s order superseded a former policy saying that outgoing White House aides were barred from lobbying for two years after serving in the Administration. With Trump’s lefting of the order, there are currently no restrictions on lobbying on former White House officials.

President Joe Biden is expected to enact his own executive order barring former White House officials from lobbying very early in his administration.