Most recently, Mr. Pickering asked lawyers who appeared in his courtroom to write letters in support of his nomination, a request that creates an appearance of coercion and judicial bias.
People like Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman are very careful in what they say, but sometimes the lead-in questions by the hosts are so loaded with opinion that it creates an appearance of overly loaded and partisan coverage.
The Ethics Board found that Ms. Scarpati-Reilly had engaged in "conduct that creates an appearance of impropriety" by falsely telling the press that she had not filed a police complaint against the employee, Williams Perks, after an altercation they had a year ago.
Drawing bright lines, making combative noises, and asking which side are you on can be a crude and often demagogic thing, but it creates an appearance of strength, and Americans like people who know their minds and are prepared to fight.
"On its face alone, this creates an appearance of a conflict of interest and raises several questions," said the letter, sent by Senator Bernard Sanders, an independent from Vermont and Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, and signed by 12 other Democrats.
They said the corporate tie creates an appearance of impropriety.
