Deserting a sinking ship

After almost a year in the White House counsel's office tackling a raft of ethics and financial disclosure issues, James Schultz resigned last week and is returning to private practice at the Philadelphia-based law firm where he previously worked, Cozen O'Connor.

Schultz insists his exit is unrelated to any of those myriad [Trump White House] controversies, but simply triggered by a desire to get back to private law work and back to Philadelphia, where his family has remained.
  Politico

And to work for Fox News? Or just get far, far away before the ax comes down?

Asked if he plans to join the public, often-televised debate on alleged conflicts of interest involving Trump administration figures, Schultz said he expects to, but doesn't plan to make it a full-time job.

"That'll be something I'd be willing to do, certainly, getting out and talking about the good work the Trump administration is doing on these issue," he said. "I will be out, but I don't plan to make a career out of being a pundit on TV. ... I'm planning to have a robust law practice."

[...]

"These [White House counsel jobs] are typically year-to-about-18-months-type positions."

Why? Because if you're there longer than that, you'll never get the stink off you?

"I look at the judges [being installed by the Trump administration] as a real legacy in changing the face of the courts and putting originalists in to those positions," Schultz said. "That's something where even now we can look back and say, 'We had some real impact.'"

Originalists? Does that mean judges who don't follow precedent?

I think he means conservative activists but won't call them that because that's the word that's supposed to be applied to liberal judges. It's a smear dog whistle to the ignorant right, like "environmentalist" and "liberal", something they can spit at you.

Asked about some of the frequent talking heads, Schultz faulted former Office of Government Ethics chief Walter Shaub, who resigned in July after going public with several disagreements with the White House over [ethics] issues.

[...]

"Nobody knew who Walter Shaub was before Donald Trump became president. ... He immediately thrust himself into the limelight instead of being helpful on the issues where he could have been. It was more about him than about ethics.”

The standard GOP position: accuse others of your own faults.

"I had to walk away from the best job I ever had, or ever will have, and an ethics program to which I devoted the bulk of my career. I wish nobody knew my name. I wish Jim Schultz and this White House hadn’t given people a reason to know my name," Shaub said Sunday night. "I wish Jim well. I hope he’s better at his next job, or at least lasts a full year in it.”

Ouch.