When President Trump agreed only to interrupt his formal role in his business by handing over control to his sons — not to divest himself at all or give them ownership — it sent shudders through the ethics-in-government crowd.
Even if the president isn’t legally held to the rules on divestment and blind trusts that most government employees must follow, people want and deserve both the reality and the complete appearance that their president does not and would not take official actions to improve his own bottom line.
Now it comes out that Trump will be even more connected to his business than that. His son, Eric, will be providing him with quarterly statements on how the company is performing.
Again, it’s not illegal for him to do this, but it certainly makes Trump’s voluntary arrangement of separation from his businesses seem like pageantry and little else.
