Prof. Painter Quoted in Two Wall Street Journal Articles About the Potential for Trump's Conflict of Interest

Professor Richard W. Painter was quoted in two Wall Street Journal articles—here and here—about Donald Trump's business enterprise and the potential conflict of interest if he were to be elected president. Trump has said he would separate himself from his business empire by establishing a blind trust. Prof. Painter, who was chief ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration, said, “A blind trust would never work in Trump’s case, because his assets are known, not blind, and children aren’t independent trustees." Prof. Painter added that other modern-era wealthy presidents, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, were "old-money with diversified holdings who didn’t directly manage businesses the way Mr. Trump does."