Federal Government Policy and Business

Government Ethics Office Now Says Trump’s Business Plans Fall Short

Government Executive: President-elect Donald Trump will not eliminate conflicts of interest concerns by transferring power of his company to his children, according to the federal agency with oversight of executive branch ethics.

The Office of Government Ethics said in a letter to Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that “transferring operational control of a company to one’s children” would not constitute a blind trust, nor would it satisfy federal ethics laws. While statute exempts the president from those requirements, OGE Director Walter Shaub reiterated in the letter his agency’s position the president should conduct himself “as if he were bound by the financial conflict of interest laws.”

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