Search results for: donald trump
Compliance Depicted in Film
Last week we called out some of the ways that corporate ethics and compliance have been portrayed in television over the years. As promised, this week we have a look at ethics and compliance portrayed in film. Again, we had two criteria: the films had to be fictional (we will address the many outstanding documentary…
Read MoreAT&T Wins Ethics Award, Looks Ridiculous
Well this is awkward: AT&T won an award for corporate ethics earlier this week — just hours before news broke that the company paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to President Trump’s personal lawyer last year in what looks like a bribe to help curry favor with the Trump Administration. The award came on May…
Read MoreCompliance on My Mind This Week
Random thoughts about ethics and compliance while reviewing my 2018 policy manual… Yes! The Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics and the Institute of Internal Auditors will be holding their major conferences in 2018 at the same time and place: Oct. 22-24 in Las Vegas. SCCE at Caesar’s Palace, IIA one block south at Aria.…
Read MoreCorporate Plea Bargains Under Fire Again
Any time a federal judge begins a ruling with the words, “Let’s see if I’ve got this straight,” you know you’re in for something special. Last week, district court judge William Young did not disappoint. With that opening sentence, Young, a veteran and respected judge in Boston, delivered a 24-page broadside against the Justice Department’s…
Read MoreCompliance Thoughts on My Mind
Random thoughts about corporate compliance and ethics while waiting for Russian operatives to set up a meeting with me rather than Donald Trump Jr… A compliance officer in financial services recently suggested to me that AML compliance functions should be merged with cybersecurity. After all, he said, both groups seek to identify the true intentions…
Read MoreDOJ Compliance Counsel Is Out
No surprise here: the Justice Department is parting ways with its in-house compliance counsel, Hui Chen, who had raised eyebrows lately with thinly veiled attacks against Donald Trump on social media. The department began advertising Wednesday for a new compliance counsel, and confirmed to the National Law Journal that, yes, Chen is departing after 20…
Read MoreAnthem’s Blow Against Corporate Trust
The most important conversation not happening enough in ethics & compliance circles right now is the falling level of trust people have in corporations. If we want an example of how executive conduct puts companies in that position, look no further than health insurance giant Anthem and the recent actions of its CEO. Anthem’s CEO,…
Read MoreSEC Clips Whistleblower Reward for Misconduct
I didn’t notice this SEC enforcement until now, but 10 days ago the agency doled out a whistleblower award—and trimmed the final prize to the tipster, because that person both participated in the misconduct and took his sweet time before alerting the SEC. Alas, we don’t know many more details about this case. We don’t…
Read MorePiwowar Drops Big Hints on Future SEC Policy
Acting SEC Chairman Michael Piwowar gave a speech Friday that hit all the major themes compliance offices should expect from the SEC under the Trump Administration: a push for simplified disclosure, fewer corporate penalties, and easier standards for raising capital. Although, in one surprise twist, Piwowar did say he supports corporate penalties for violations of…
Read MoreYay, Government Ethics Is Happening!
The Office of Government Ethics, probably the most forsaken place in Washington since Team Trump swept into power, issued an extraordinary tweetstorm on Thursday afternoon reminding everyone of how OGE works. Apparently this office—which, let’s be honest, almost nobody knew about until Donald Trump took office three weeks ago—has been receiving so many calls, emails,…
Read More