• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechLL Bean

After Trump’s Tweet, Ethics Office Reminds U.S. Employees: No Endorsing Products

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 13, 2017, 6:10 PM ET
LL Bean flagship store
FREEPORT, MAINE, UNITED STATES - 2016/10/20: LL Bean flagship store. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)John Greim LightRocket via Getty Images

A day after President-elect Donald Trump encouraged supporters to “Buy L.L. Bean,” a U.S. ethics watchdog on Friday warned federal employees they must not endorse products or companies.

The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) said on its official Twitter account: “All executive branch employees must refrain from misuse of position, including endorsements.”

No mention of Trump was made in the tweet, and many rules for federal employees do not apply to the president. The ethics office has tweeted other reminders to employees this week, including one that federal gift restrictions remain in place during the upcoming inauguration.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The office’s endorsements message drew attention on Twitter, though, because it came after Trump posted support for the Maine catalog retailer known for its backpacks and rubber-bottomed boots.

Activists had called for a boycott following reports that a member of the family that owns L.L. Bean contributed to Trump’s campaign.

“Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L. Bean for your great support and courage,” the Republican president-elect tweeted. “People will support you even more now. Buy L.L. Bean.”

A spokesman for the ethics office declined to comment.

Donald Trump Wants You to Buy from L.L. Bean

The office, created in 1978, wades through financial disclosures to help executive branch officials avoid conflicts of interest. It has drawn attention and some scrutiny for recent public statements about ethics issues facing Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20.

On Wednesday, the office’s director, Walter Shaub, criticized Trump’s new plan to resign from managing his global business empire but leave it in the hands of his sons.

Trump said he would place his assets in a trust, but he will retain ownership. Ethics experts wanted him to follow the lead of past presidents and establish a blind trust that would be run by someone else independent of his oversight.

The Donald Trump Stock Rally Just Turned These CEOs Into Billionaires

“Stepping back from running his business is meaningless from a conflict-of-interest perspective. The presidency is a full-time job, and he would have had to step back anyway,” Shaub said in a speech at a Washington think tank. “Nothing short of divestiture will resolve these conflicts.”

Last year, the office sent a series of tweets about Trump’s businesses modeled after the brash Republican’s own style of communicating. “Brilliant! Divestiture is good for you, very good for America!” read one.

Some Republicans were not amused. Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, who leads the U.S. House oversight panel, wrote to Shaub this week and told him to come for an interview.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
'I had to take 60 meetings': Jeff Bezos says 'the hardest thing I've ever done' was raising the first million dollars of seed capital for Amazon
By Dave SmithDecember 15, 2025
7 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO—and he’s taking action, by blocking his calendar every afternoon from Wednesday to Friday 
By Preston ForeDecember 15, 2025
9 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Sorry, six-figure earners: Elon Musk says that money will 'disappear' in the future as AI makes work (and salaries) irrelevant
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 15, 2025
11 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Deloitte's CTO on a stunning AI transformation stat: Companies are spending 93% on tech and only 7% on people
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 15, 2025
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
19 days ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
A 'new era' in the housing market is about to begin as affordability finally improves 'for the first time in a bunch of years,' economist says
By Jason MaDecember 14, 2025
1 day ago

Latest in Tech

Paramount
BankingM&A
Warner Bros. is blockbuster finale to $4.5 trillion M&A haul
By Michelle F. Davis, David Carnevali, Ryan Gould, Swetha Gopinath and BloombergDecember 15, 2025
1 hour ago
slop
CybersecurityCulture
The word of the year is ‘slop,’ Merriam-Webster says
By Anna Furman and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
2 hours ago
C-Suitechief financial officer (CFO)
‘2026 has to be a year of execution’: AI investment pressures, supply-chain risks, and strategy misalignment are all on the line for CFOs
By Alex Zank and CFO BrewDecember 15, 2025
3 hours ago
Photo of Jim Farley
North AmericaAutos
Ford is scrapping the all-electric F-150 Lightning and other big EVs amid a scramble to find a winning electric formula that will cost $19.5 billion
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 15, 2025
3 hours ago
InnovationElectric vehicles
Rivian CEO says the EV maker’s new large driving model will one day allow for fully autonomous driving—and maybe a spot in the robotaxi race
By Jordyn Grzelewski and Tech BrewDecember 15, 2025
3 hours ago
Big TechMeta
Former Meta integrity chief says new report reveals ‘disappointing’ ad fraud epidemic at the social media giant
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 15, 2025
5 hours ago