Liberal Forum

Termin8tor » 31 Mar 2017 9:27 am » wrote:Of course businessmen are going to be consulted about necessary deregulation. They're the ones that have to deal with massive amounts of unnecessary paperwork that have devastated parts of the country, and badly hurt the country overall.

Trump Adviser Carl Icahn Lobbies for Rule Change That Benefits Icahn

“This looks more like what you’d see in a banana republic.”

Since Election Day, the billionaire New York investor (Carl Icahn) has emerged as the most powerful person in the $24 billion ethanol industry.

That’s due in part to his stake in two oil refineries, but mostly it’s because of his relationship with President Donald Trump.

Icahn has known Trump for more than two decades and was an early supporter during the campaign.

Trump rewarded Icahn in December by making him special adviser to the president on regulatory reform, giving Icahn the perfect platform to influence federal policies that affect his $20 billion business empire.

“This looks more like what you’d see in a banana republic,” says Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen, a liberal watchdog group.

“You’ve got a strongman who surrounds himself with billionaires or wealthy advisers who conduct the business of government to benefit their business.”

Icahn would seem to inhabit an extraordinary position of privilege in the Trump administration. Except that he’s not technically a part of the administration.

As a special adviser, he’s not a government employee and receives no compensation.

That means he doesn’t have to relinquish any of his vast financial holdings, nor is he subject to federal ethics rules that typically apply to people who work for the president.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... fits-icahn