Trump Labor Board Appointee Is Probed by DOJ Over Ethics Allegations
Source: Bloomberg
By Benjamin Penn and Ian Kullgren
National Labor Relations Board member William Emanuel, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, recently was interviewed by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations from the NLRB inspector general that he participated in five labor law cases involving a company or companies in which he owned stock, according to eight sources briefed on the matter.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to prosecute Emanuel, whose term on the NLRB expires Friday, said three of the sources, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they didn’t have approval to disclose private conversations.
The decision punted the matter back to the federal labor board, which is now determining how to handle four prior rulings in which NLRB Inspector General David Berry has determined that Emanuel had a conflict of interest that should’ve prompted him to recuse himself, according to one of the sources. A fifth case flagged by Berry hasn’t been decided and remains pending before the board.
Although the significance of the allegations will hinge on which cases are affected, the investigation could reignite an ethics saga that’s pitted Trump’s Republican board appointees against unions and Democrats. This latest chapter comes two days before Democrats take control of the NLRB; President Joe Biden appointed two new members, both of whom have a background as union-side attorneys.
The Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-26/trump-nlrb-pick-emanuel-probed-by-doj-over-ethics-allegations
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