Bush Administration Pledged The Highest Ethical Standards

President Bush ran his 2000 campaign on government responsibility and high ethical standards. Since that time, the administration has increasingly lowered its standards. Instead of calling for accountability, the right wing has launched talking points to smear the leak investigation. This document reminds the public of the administration’s promises.

President George W. Bush

“A leader must make decisions based on principles. And a leader must be a uniter, not a divider. A leader sets a tone. Should I decide to run for President, I will set an optimistic and hopeful tone for America. I will campaign on my beliefs and principles and will not engage in the petty politics of personal destruction. America deserves better.” [3/7/99]

“And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, a president himself must be responsible. And so, when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.” [8/3/00]

“In my administration, we will ask not only what is legal but what is right, not just what the lawyers allow but what the public deserves.” [AP, 10/26/00]

“I will return honor and dignity to the White House. The current President [President Bill Clinton] pledged the most ethical Administration in American history. As it turned out, he fell about 41 Presidents short. The President is the commander in chief of the armed forces. He is the leader of the Free World. He is the voice of the American people. I will return the highest standards of honor to the highest office in the land. This is my pledge. And it does not depend on what the meaning of the word is is.” [2/2/00]

“America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected. Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment.” [1/20/01]

“First, we must remember the high standards that come with high office. This begins with careful adherence to the rules. I expect every member of this administration to stay well within the boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct. This means avoiding even the appearance of problems. This means checking and, if need be, double- checking that the rules have been obeyed. This means never compromising those rules. No one in the White House should be afraid to confront the people they work for, for ethical concerns, and no one should hesitate to confront me as well. We are all accountable to one another. And above all, we are all accountable to the law and to the American people.” [1/22/01]

Andy Card

“We have an awful lot to do for this country and the President understands that. He expects everyone who is working on his team, and all of you are on his team, to understand first of all the rules, regulations and the law with regard to ethics. But even beyond that, recognize that working on this administration means that you should have the courage to follow the rules, obviously, and stay within the law, obviously. But it’s actually to do more than that. Recognize that you do have a moral compass that tells you what to do and to do the right thing, and we’d like to see everyone do the right thing.” [White House Resources]

Ari Fleischer

“Any actions will be taken, as the President indicated on day one of this administration, if you will recall, at an event in the East Room, the President talked about the importance of all members of this administration following all ethics laws and all actions they take should be in accordance with those laws.” [4/24/01]

“As a general matter, it’s important for all White House officials to comply fully with all ethics rules.” [6/13/01]

Q When he named his top executives within a day or two of being inaugurated himself, he talked quite plainly about maintaining a standard that is above reproach, above even the appearance of a conflict.
MR. FLEISCHER: Right.
Q You know, is this the kind of thing he thinks would fall into that category?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President expects all the people that he names to post to be of the highest ethics. [6/19/01]

“I think to the President what [the corporate accounting scandal] indicates is a need to have a society of laws where the laws are vigorously enforced, no matter who violates them; and to have ethics that are followed at home and in the workplace and corporate boards. That’s how the President approaches it.” [6/10/03]

Scott McClellan

“That’s what — I made very clear that the President expects members of his administration to adhere to the highest ethical standards.” [10/2/03]

“And the President expects everyone in his administration to adhere to the highest standards of conduct.” [10/7/03]

Karl Rove

“The vice president has some trouble telling the truth. And he now says he made mistakes. Those weren’t mistakes. These involved violations of the law. People are going to jail over this”¦ This is more than just a little teensy-weensy mistake”¦ These are very substantive questions about the ethical conduct about the vice president and his ability to tell the truth.” [Fox News Sunday, 3/12/00]

Presidential Memos

“Everyone who enters into public service for the United States has a duty to the American people to maintain the highest standards of integrity in Government”¦Public service is a public trust”¦Employees shall endeavor to avoid any actions creating the appearance that they are violating applicable law or the ethical standards in applicable regulations.” [1/20/01]