President Barack Obama frequently has vowed to make ethics in government a top priority. On January 21, his first full day in office, he announced, “Let me say it as clearly as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” He had timed his words to coincide with separate executive orders that froze the pay of White House officials whose salaries exceeded $100,000, imposed gift bans on political appointees, and restricted lobbyists’ access to government jobs. Yet this “new era of openness,” as the president termed it, apparently hasn’t extended to oversight of supportive organizations – like labor unions.
From literally day one, the Obama administration has made clear its intent to back off from investigating corruption within organized labor. At least one member of the House of Representatives has expressed concern over this direction in policy. On June 23, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued 
