Trump Fires IGs Across Government

trump

President Trump fired more than a dozen inspectors general across the federal government Friday night, yet another sign that Trump has little concern about objective mechanisms for accountability in his administration. The president fired at least 12 inspectors general, according to an article in the Washington Post, although other news outlets later reported that as…

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Trump Justice Dept. Comes Into View

Justice

Compliance officers have a few more clues this week about what the incoming Trump Administration might mean for corporate compliance programs, although we still have many questions still outstanding too. Today let’s take a fresh look at what we do know, what we still don’t, and what we could deduce about the gap between those…

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More Questions on Trump II and Compliance

Let’s keep talking about what Donald Trump’s return to power means for the corporate compliance profession because, honestly, what else is there to talk about right now? I’ve spoken with compliance officers all week long about Trump’s victory, and most folks were bewildered, dispirited, anxious, or some blend of all three. Their comments are telling.…

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Trump & Compliance: Here We Go Again

Trump

Well, brace yourselves, ethics and compliance professionals. The American people in their mighty wisdom (or lack thereof) have returned Donald Trump to the presidency. This is one of the most consequential moments in the history of the country, sure to affect regulatory enforcement, risk management, and corporate ethics for years to come.  We might as…

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Internal Controls Come for Trump

trump

At long last, we have an internal controls and compliance angle on Donald Trump’s courtroom drama! When Trump was ordered last week to pay $355 million in damages for his civil fraud trial in New York, the judge in the case also ordered the Trump Organization to hire a director of financial compliance.  This person,…

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Pre-Taliation in Trump Fraud Trial!

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Well this is about as surprising as sunrise in the east: a hot corporate compliance issue just made a guest appearance in the civil fraud trial against Donald Trump that’s unfolding in New York this week. Turns out that the former president (may he ever remain so) included a pre-taliation clause in the employment contract…

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Trump, the Coup, and Corporate Ethics

trump

Corporate America might be hoping that the difficult issues raised by President Trump’s attempted coup this week and the remaining days of his term will somehow pass them by. Too bad.  What Trump has unleashed isn’t something businesses will be able to avoid. In several practical ways, dealing with Trump and his minions — both…

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Ethics Lessons in Trump Tweets

Trump

Occasionally President Trump raises some thought-provoking points for ethics and compliance officers. Not the usual stupid stuff showcasing the ethical decay of the Trump Administration, mind you — but rather, genuinely relevant issues about corporate ethics and compliance programs, that don’t always have clear answers. Trump did that twice this week, which is two times…

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Lessons on Silos From Trump Administration

silos

We pivot back to the Trump Administration today, which continues to give compliance and governance professionals lessons galore in how not to run a large organization. I spotted an article on Politico.com last week, just before the government shutdown. The headline was “Shutdown threat tanks West Wing morale,” which is no surprise unto itself. One…

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Trump Admin Whacks Telco Firm for $892 Million

zte

Compliance officers wondering whether the Trump Administration would still enforce egregious corporate misconduct with big fines, here’s one answer: the administration today whacked a Chinese telecom firm with nearly $900 million in fines and penalties for export control violations. The firm is ZTE Corp., which pleaded guilty to re-exporting sensitive communications technology to Iran without…

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