Prof. Alan Rozenshtein Quoted in New York Times About Trump Administration Ignoring Established Norms

Professor Alan Rozenshtein was quoted and his writing in the Minnesota Law Review was cited in a New York Times article about how norms recognized for decades in Washington by both parties no longer appear to apply to the Trump White House. Prof. Rozenshtein, a former Justice Department national security lawyer, said, “The democratic system in United States never really anticipated what is happening in the Trump administration. The presidency requires virtue — it requires a basic level of decency and loyalty to the country. If you don’t have that kind of person, there is not much one can do unfortunately at that point, especially if Congress is supine.” Prof. Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, who served as a White House ethics adviser during George W. Bush’s administration was also quoted saying that despite the exemption from the criminal conflict of interest law that prohibits federal employees from taking any action that directly affects their family financial holdings, presidents have generally sought to honor it as the standard.