Trump’s making moves again. This time, he’s telling the Justice Department to back off on enforcing an old law banning American companies from bribing foreign officials to land business deals.
With reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, he signed the order, telling Attorney General Pam Bondi to put the 1934 law on pause until she comes up with new rules.
Trump also slammed the anti-corruption law — first enforced under President Jimmy Carter in 1978 — calling it “a disaster for this country” because it made doing business internationally way too complicated.
Trump says the law makes business too hard
“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.
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White House claims U.S. companies are at a disadvantage
A White House fact sheet, shared with The Independent, says the Justice Department is now reviewing every past and current case involving the law.
The White House argues that banning American companies from bribing foreign officials puts them at a disadvantage, since bribery is a normal part of business in other countries.
“U.S. companies are harmed by FCPA overenforcement because they are prohibited from engaging in practices common among international competitors, creating an uneven playing field,” the White House said.
Trump defends his decision as necessary for business
Trump insists that the law has made things too complicated for U.S. companies, leaving them scared to make deals because of legal risks.
Trump pardons an official convicted of corruption
And while he was at it, Trump also pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption. Trump had already commuted his sentence back in his first term, but now he’s making it official.
Blagojevich was caught trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat Barack Obama left behind after becoming president in 2008.
His move is part of a larger rollback of ethics laws
This isn’t just some random decision. Since getting back in office, Trump has been dialing back ethics laws and cutting government oversight.
Trump fires officials overseeing ethics and whistleblower protections
Over the weekend, Trump fired two key officials — the head of the Office of Special Counsel, which protects whistleblowers, and the head of the Office of Government Ethics.
A Trump loyalist takes over government ethics oversight
And just like that, both roles got filled by someone on Trump’s team. He put Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, a longtime loyalist, in charge of both agencies.
This move is stirring up plenty of debate. Whether it sticks or not, we’ll have to wait and see.
