Peter Overby

A former federal prosecutor told NPR one place to start in thinking about the potential legal ramifications of the meeting is to consider a possible conspiracy charge.

"Collusion" isn't a crime, but myriad controversies in the Trump operation suggest numerous possible violations of federal statutes. The latest example: Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer.

Trump Jr.'s email exchange concerning a meeting with a Russian attorney last year has raised questions about a federal law that prohibits foreign nationals from aiding U.S. political campaigns.

When Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer last June, did he break any law? Foreign nationals are barred from providing "anything of value" to campaigns, and candidates are barred from soliciting anything of value.

Shaub, who announced he would resign on Thursday, says his successor should be someone "who's shown respect for the ethical norms and traditions, and is independent."

Shaub, who has had many battles with the Trump administration, says he is quitting to become a legal activist. He says the "current situation" shows tougher ethics action is needed.

The president is using the Trump International Hotel, blocks from the White House, to raise money for his campaign operation, which has generated revenue for Trump businesses.

"This is nonsense," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to President Trump earlier this month, regarding the administration's narrow view of oversight.

As a presidential candidate last year, Trump had to disclose his sources of revenues. Now in office, the president has voluntarily updated the information about the Trump Organization's businesses.

Members of Congress are upset by the White House instructing federal agencies to ignore requests from lawmakers seeking oversight information.

On Wednesday, scores of Democrats in Congress filed to sue President Trump. They believe he's violating the Emoluments Clause by profiting from foreign governments without congressional consent.

The White House released a list of people who received exemptions under the ethics rules. The list includes chief of staff Reince Priebus, counselor Kellyanne Conway and chief strategist Steve Bannon.

The tiny Office of Government Ethics, led by Walter Shaub Jr., has scored a victory in its effort to gather information about Trump administration employees who were previously lobbyists.

The Trump administration agreed late Friday to disclose records regarding lobbyists it has hired. The new transparency is a win for the tiny, 71-worker Office of Government Ethics.

The Office of Government Ethics "declines your request to suspend its ethics authority," its director tells the White House. The administration said compiling the waivers exceeded OGE's authority.

As the president's "special adviser on regulatory reform," billionaire Carl Icahn has undefined reach, and no need to comply with the ethics rules.

President Trump named Icahn as an unpaid special adviser on regulatory changes. But no one has defined what a special adviser is, or how much power Trump has given to his longtime rival and friend.

The compliance forms are to be posted online, along with the ethics agreements the appointees signed during the Senate confirmation process.

"It all just looks really bad," said anti-corruption expert Stuart Gilman. "It looks like Trump is trying to simply protect his properties."

A lawyer for United to Protect Democracy says the nonprofit is "protecting the civil service from purges, intimidation or politicization."