In response to reports from President-elect Trump’s friends, business associates and transition staff that Trump wishes to hold on to his business and return to running it after leaving the White House, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Noah Bookbinder released the following statement:

“This confirms many of our worst fears about conflicts of interest with Trump’s business empire. If he holds on to the business and takes back leadership after leaving the White House, every decision he makes in office will be subject to question as to whether he has the best interests of the American people in mind or the bottom line of the Trump Organization. As a businessman, he has billions of reasons to enact policies to help his business. The only way to remove the shadow of doubt from his presidency is to sell the business outside the family and put the proceeds in a true blind trust.”