Prof. Painter Interviewed on ABC News About Trump’s Need to Divest Foreign Business Interests

Professor Richard Painter—who served as chief ethics counsel during the George W. Bush administration—was interviewed on ABC News with George Stephanopoulos about President-elect Trump’s foreign business conflicts of interest and the need for Trump to completely divest from them, as involvement with them would violate the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. “If Trump retains ownership of his businesses, and those businesses take money from foreign governments, he will be in violation of the Constitution, regardless of who manages the businesses—it’s about who owns them,” said Painter. In regards to the many potential conflicts of interest Trump holds, Painter added, “He needs to focus on being President—not an innkeeper, or reality show host.”