Trump orders Justice Department to stop enforcing foreign anti-bribery law
Trump orders Attorney General Pam Bondi to pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Justice to stop enforcing a decades-old law that prohibits American corporations from bribing foreign government officials to advance their own financial interests.
As reporters watched him in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump signed the document, which directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to stop enforcing the 1934 law until she issues new enforcement guidelines.
Trump complained that the anti-corruption measure, which was signed into law by then-president Jimmy Carter in 1978, was a “disaster for this country” because “it made it very, very hard, from a practical standpoint, to make deals” overseas without violating the law, implying that bribes are expected to be a routine part of business, including for American companies.
“It hurts the country. And many, many deals are unable to be made because of it. Nobody wants to do business because they don’t want to feel like every time they pick up a phone, they’re going to jail,” he said.
A White House fact sheet seen by The Independent states that all current and past uses of the anti-corruption law will also be reviewed by justice department officials.
The fact sheet states the White House view that American corporations are disadvantaged by prohibitions on bribing corrupt foreign officials because such activity is common in international business transactions.
“U.S. companies are harmed by FCPA over-enforcement because they are prohibited from engaging in practices common among international competitors, creating an uneven playing field,” the White House stated.
American companies with the most discretionary money, however, would likely have an advantage by paying the most money in a bribe for foreign cooperation in a dead, creating an uneven playing field.
At the same time, Trump also told reporters he was issuing a pardon of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, a former Democratic elected official who the president had freed from prison by commuting his 14-year sentence during his first term in the White House.
Blagojevich had been convicted of public corruption for attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by former president Barack Obama after he won the 2008 presidential election.
While Trump’s new order suspends enforcement of anti-corruption law against American corporations, the action was just one of several recent actions he has taken to weaken enforcement of ethics and other laws since returning to office nearly a month ago.
Over the weekend, Trump removed both the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers, and the head of the Office of Government Ethics.
He told reporters he was appointing a loyalist, Veterans Affairs secretary Doug Collins, as the acting head of both agencies.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
0Comments