The Office of Government Ethics and the White House ethics officer seem to disagree on the reach of government ethics standards. Fact Checker Glenn Kessler explores both sides.

More about the Office of Government Ethics:

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics, established by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, provides overall leadership and oversight of the executive branch ethics program designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest. OGE’s mission is part of the very foundation of public service. The first principle in the Fourteen Principles of Public Service is, “public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.” Public servants are expected to make impartial decisions based on the interests of the public when performing their job duties. The executive branch ethics program ensures that employees fulfill this great trust. OGE works with a community of ethics practitioners in more than 130 agencies to implement that program.

To carry out its leadership and oversight responsibilities, OGE promulgates and maintains enforceable standards of ethical conduct for approximately 2.7 million civilian employees in over 130 executive branch agencies and the White House; oversees a financial disclosure system that reaches more than 27,000 public and more than 370,000 confidential financial disclosure report filers; ensures that executive branch ethics programs are in compliance with applicable ethics laws and regulations; provides education and training to the more than 5,500 ethics officials executive branch-wide; conducts outreach to the general public, the private sector, and civil society; and provides technical assistance to state, local, and foreign governments and international organizations.