FeaturesSpecial Envoy Witkoff Faces Asset Dilemma; Failure to Divest Trump-Linked Crypto Assets Creates Conflict of Interest
According to the Bijie.com news, the White House stated that Witkoff has not divested his cryptocurrency assets, including shares in World Liberty Finance, a company associated with the Trump family, which may raise conflict of interest issues for the special envoy. A White House official stated that Witkoff has completed financial disclosures and is currently working with ethics officials and legal counsel to ensure full compliance with government regulations, including taking all necessary legal steps to complete the asset divestiture. The process of determining which assets an official appointee needs to divest can become a negotiation game with ethics officials. If there is a long-term dispute over "which assets constitute a conflict of interest," Witkoff may face legal risks - especially if he is heavily involved in specific matters related to his personal financial interests, which may violate the Criminal Conflict of Interest Act. Government ethics regulations require cabinet members and other senior officials to divest assets that may give rise to financial conflicts of interest, but the president is not subject to these restrictions.