“Blind Trust”

Trump Attorney’s Double Speak

On November 10th, Donald Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, said Trump would turn over control of his business to his adult children, using the term “blind trust.”

But the legal definition of a blind trust involves putting your assets under the control of an independent actor. Government officials — including recent presidents — place their assets in a blind trust so they cannot knowingly increase their own wealth through government action.

Giving his children control of his assets does not approach the definition of a blind trust. And now that his children are part of the transition team this trust is even less blind.

The reason this matters is that Donald Trump has assets in the United States and internationally. As long as he is aware of his holdings, there is a great risk that he will act to enrich himself. This could mean being friendly to foreign governments with significant holdings in Trump ventures or directing U.S. government funds to Trump related business ventures.