Why Trump’s Conflict-of-Interest Plan Won't Prevent Conflicts of Interest
President Obama’s former ethics czar says the president-elect has not eliminated the risk of conflicts of interest despite Trump’s announcement of a plan to guard against them on Wednesday.
President-elect Donald Trump announced at a press conference Wednesday that he is transferring control of his company to his sons, a plan that falls short of what ethics experts have advised for the president-elect to prevent conflicts of interest as a result of his business entanglements.
As a result, the steps announced Wednesday won’t actually resolve Trump’s potential conflicts of interest, according to Norman Eisen, the former White House ethics czar under President Obama. “Mr. Trump’s ill-advised course will precipitate scandal and corruption” Eisen said in an e-mail, arguing that when he assumes the presidency, Trump will be poised to violate to prevent foreign governments from buying influence in the U.S. government.
