Prof. Richard Painter Quoted in an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Article Regarding Aid to Israel

Prof. Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, was quoted in an article on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) website. The ICIJ said that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. states and municipalities have bought more than $1.7 billion in Israeli bonds, with Democratic and Republican officials around the country boasting of their investments as a show of support for an Israel at war. In addition, thousands of pages of email records reveal Israel Bonds — an organization that sells bonds that help fund Israel’s government and military — has been campaigning with highly personalized sales pitches and pro-Israel messaging. According to the ICIJ, the buyers of these bonds have gained access to gala dinners, cocktail celebrations, and private meetings with Israeli officials with records showing how these dealings with Israel Bonds sometimes blurred the lines between private life and official business. Prof. Painter said, “This is an area of ethics where there are many potential conflicts of interest. These types of practices, the mixing up of the personal and official, seem to go well beyond what’s seen as acceptable.”