Radio Atlantic

President Trump’s Post-Mueller Corruption Problem

When elected, most presidents either sell their assets or put them in a blind trust. Isolating a president’s financial interests from their time in office has been a norm for decades: from Jimmy Carter giving up his peanut farm to Barack Obama liquidating his assets.
But Donald Trump is not like most presidents. He’s said he won’t divest from his businesses, even though his real estate deals around the world open up countless opportunities for conflicts of interest. His unprecedented decision may violate the “emoluments clause” of the Constitution — a rule that’s existed longer than the American republic, but has never before faced scrutiny in the courts. On Tuesday, a panel of Fourth Circuit judges heard an emoluments case and their decision appears likely to send the fight to Supreme Court.
Alex Wagner talks to Joshua Matz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in that case, a Georgetown law professor, and co-author of the January 2017 Atlantic story: ”Why Trump Will Violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause”
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The Atlantic has long been known as an ideas-driven magazine. Now we’re bringing that same ethos to audio. Like the magazine, the show will “road test” the big ideas that both drive the news and shape our culture. Through conversations—and sometimes sharp debates—with the most insightful thinkers and writers on topics of the day, Radio Atlantic will complicate overly simplistic views. It will cut through the noise with clarifying, personal narratives. It will, hopefully, help listeners make up their own mind about certain ideas.
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