Every single official in the executive branch is required, under penalty of potential prison, to avoid financial conflicts of interest. But two people are exempt: President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
This decades-old “presidential exemption” to the federal criminal conflicts-of-interest law has created a bizarre dynamic where Trump openly flouts ethics norms while his Cabinet members, top White House advisers and appointees throughout the federal government jump through hoops to deconflict – either through divestments or recusals.
Seven months into Trump’s tenure, he has brazenly blended his business interests with the presidency by having his administration accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar, dining with wealthy investors for in his cryptocurrency coin, sel