John Kerry sold off energy holdings to avoid conflict of interest, disclosures show

[mucifer]

Financial disclosures released by former Secretary of State John Kerry indicate that until March of this year he held hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments in energy-related companies that may end up being affected by policies he'll help shape as President Joe Biden's new climate envoy.

An ABC News analysis of his assets show that in recent years, Kerry held stakes in at least three dozen companies related to the energy industry, including firms dealing in electric, oil and gas, and nuclear energy, with shares worth between $204,000 and $960,000. Kerry had also recently held high-ranking positions within firms and entities that could end up being regulated by his climate action policies, filings show.

A certificate of divestiture issued by the Office of Government Ethics on March 8 shows Kerry's plan to divest from companies that could pose a conflict of interest for his new role as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, a common measure that newly appointed public officials take to ensure their government duties don't overlap with their personal interests. New filings obtained by ABC News show that on March 11, he divested between $4 million and $15 million in assets from more than 400 companies, including those energy-sector interests.

"The State Department's Ethics Office reviewed Special Presidential Envoy Kerry's assets and investments upon his appointment to identify holdings that could pose a significant risk of a conflict of interest," a State Department spokesperson wrote in a statement to ABC News. "Special Presidential Envoy Kerry agreed to divest the assets identified by the Ethics Office and has done so."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/climate-envoy-john-kerry-sold-off-energy-holdings/story?id=77423378&cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_twopack_hed

[uponit7771]

1. K&R, While Putin's Whore charged americans millions for security stays at his infested hotels

[pazzyanne]

2. John Kerry did/ is doing what I expected him to do.

My 60's heart has appreciated Kerry's moral core and courage since his return from the Viet Nam war.

[niyad]

3. Were these ethics offices on vacation the last four years?

[mucifer]

4. they were on vacation during the bush administration, too.

[niyad]

5. Sadly true.

[KPN]

6. Seems that way don't it? Amazing what a difference

it makes when the person in charge of the Executive Branch believes in, follows and would consequently and undoubtedly support and enable enforcement of the rule of law. It’s so darned refreshing and reassuring.

[StarfishSaver]

7. Unfortunately, the ethics offices can do little more than advise

They don't have much enforcement authority if officials ignore their advice.

This is an area that Congress is working to tighten up. In the past, government officials did the right thing without having to be beaten about the head.

When I worked in government, when ethics advisers told us something was a conflict, we removed the conflict. I guess I could have ignored them and faced no consequences, but that never even occurred to me. Maybe because I'm not a grifting thief and neither were the other people I worked with.

[Hortensis]

8. Standard adherence to ethical standards. nt

[DemUnleashed]

9. We

That's what we Dems do...we do the ethical!!