Two more ethics waivers have been issued to White House associate counsels, permitting Chris Weideman and Jonathan Kravis to continue working on issues involving former President George W. Bush. A White House blog post announced that "authorization is needed because President Bush's counsel this summer joined a firm at which the two Associate Counsels formerly worked. The authorization allows the Associate Counsels, who have worked on these matters since the inception of this Administration, to continue that work—thereby preserving their expertise and government resources." The waivers can be read here and here.

Meanwhile, the Washington Times reported that the surgeon general nominee Dr. Regina Benjamin was paid about $10,000 to serve on an advisory board for Burger King, where she advocated for healthy food improvements. Reportedly, Benjamin would resign her position from Burger King upon confirmation and "would recuse herself from any specific party matters involving Burger King for the next two years as part of the Obama administration's ethics pledge." However, more alarming is that Benjamin also received $20,000 for her work on an advisory board at ConAgra, one of the largest processed food companies. ConAgra is behind a majority of household name brand foods. This may be problematic considering as surgeon general, one should encourage the public to avoid such products. This seems like it may represent a conflict of interest.