>>He truly doesn't care about "bad optics". Doesn't care one bit. He gets away with it, because he has used his most powerful weapon as both a shield and a sword.

Make a note!
I couldn't agree more!
I agree that he doesn't care about "bad optics" and I agree that he uses his most powerful weapon (hmmm I'm fairly sure that I know which one you have in mind - hint .. it's not "face", it's not "lace"...) as a shield and sword.
I just finished solving a nasty .NET problem, so I'm ready.
Next subject!