Hey, who doesn’t forget to disclose a nearly $40,000 payment from the most powerful special interest group in Washington, the union establishment? If I had a penny for every time I forgot to mention a $40,000 check from big oil on White House forms…

Patrick Gaspard, who served as the political director for the Service Employees International Union local 1199, received $37,071.46 in “carried over leave and vacation” from the union in 2009, but he did not disclose the agreement to receive the payment on his financial disclosure forms filed with the White House.

In a section on his financial disclosure where agreements or arrangements for payment by a former employer must be disclosed, Gaspard checked a box indicating that he had nothing to report.

He totally forgot about that $37,000 from an Obama-linked union giant. Slipped his mind.

Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, told POLITICO Monday that Gaspard was in the process of correcting his disclosure form to reflect that he did in fact have an agreement for severance.

“We have made the small administrative change to this year’s and last year’s forms to indicate that part of the final payment to Patrick reflected their typical severance of one week of pay for each of his nine years of service at Local 1199 of SEIU,” Burton wrote POLITICO in an e-mailed statement.

“Small administrative change”. Does Burton understand that no one outside of Washington considers the failure to report a $40,000 payment an “administrative” error?

Such financial disclosures are governed by federal law, but Stan Brand, a former House general counsel and ethics expert, said the Justice Department is unlikely to pursue an investigation unless they suspected a “knowing or willful” intent to deceive.

Gaspard’s omission is a potentially embarrassing episode for the Obama administration, which has made a high priority of ethics.

“They’ve made ethics a fetish and they have all kinds of people over there with experience, so I don’t know how they missed this one,” Brand said.

Yes, amazing how the Obama Administration has found itself in a messy ethics situation.

Unlike the time Joe Sestak was offered a federal job in exchange for a political favor. Or the Treasury Secretary nominee failed to pay his taxes. Or the military affairs director decided to fly a 747 low over New York City, trailed by F-16s, on a week day. Or Van Jones, an admitted Communist and 9/11 Truther, was hired as green jobs czar. Or the Commerce Secretary nominee was revealed to be under federal investigation. Or….you get the point.

Really, Politico? You’re going to shill for the Obama Administration even in this article? I think I’ll buy the editors over there some shame for Christmas. Clearly they have none.