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- [00:00]
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- [00:30]
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You'Re against ethics in government and you're against whistleblowing, but you're in favor of extortion and bribery, you're going to love what Donald Trump just did in his suspension of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It's been on the book since 1978. It also has a companion law called the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act. And according to Donald Trump, it puts America and business at a competitive disadvantage because they're not allowed to bribe enough or extort enough. This is not the Onion, everybody. This is Midas Touch. I'm Michael Popak and Legal af. Let's dive in. I've dealt with Foreign Corrupt Practices act representing clients who have been accused of it. I've also been involved with advising companies on how to avoid violating the Federal Corrupt Practices Act. It's no joke and it's there for a good reason. We don't want our American companies bribing their way to the top or in other countries. That's a Donald Trump. It's just deal making by another name. It just shows you the perversity and the lack of ethics and morals and character of the Trump administration. The same week that he suspends the Foreign Corrupt Practices act as business people that are now in his administration are whispering to him that they'd like to continue with their companies, apparently to bribe around the world. I can only think of one in particular, Elon Musk. But there are others that he says let's get rid of that. What puts America at a competitive disadvantage? They're not allowed to bribe enough. I mean, that's really where we're at right now with this. So what does it mean he's authorized or he's instructed through an executive order? What else? Pam Bondi, his attorney general, to come up with new guidelines for how to enforce the FCPA and the FEPA on the books. Now, currently There are about 25 different companies that are being prosecuted or investigated under these acts. I expect those to end as well. I mean, Donald Trump, all within about a 48 hour period, dismissed the charge, had instructed that the dismiss that the bribery charges. This is like, this is like pro bribery week for Donald Trump. You know, when they have like infrastructure week and all this is, this is. I'm in favor of bribery week. He has his U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Jay Clayton, who used to work for him in the securities and Exchange Commission, old golf buddy of his. He has him dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams in the City of New York, who was caught in a alleged bribery scandal involving the Turkish government. Get rid of that. Then he pardons Rudy sorry Blagojevich, who is the former Illinois governor who was caught bribing his way to try to get or sell off the Senate seat that was being vacated by Obama before he became president. Gets rid of the director of the Office of Special Counsel. He gets rid of the head of the watchdog group that's responsible for whistleblowing the Office of Government Ethics. Get rid of all that. We don't need ethics in government, according to Donald Trump. We don't need watchdogs. We don't need. We're pro bribery. This is the message. This is the new repackaging or rebranding or re skidding of the American brand of democracy. We're pro bribery and extortion, everybody. I mean, it's remarkable that I have to do a hot take like this, but I do. What are the ramifications of it all these suspensions of all of these programs like federal funding and a new order preventing people who are transgender from entering the military? You know, they're not suspensions. These are permanent changes in our American brand of not only diplomacy, but patriotism and the rest. I wanted to wake. Do you think I wanted to wake up in a country or in a hotel room? Did you think I wanted to wake up in a country where we've now signaled to the rest of the world as the leader of the free world, that it's okay to bribe? You know how much bribery goes on in other countries.
- [04:41]
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- [06:11]
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Off the old brain engine and I.
- [06:13]
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- [07:11]
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I went through the reporting about this and all the international papers were doing the article or their particular cover of this news from the perspective of alleged criminal bribery and business people in their own countries. Oh, this lets him off the hook. Oh, that lets him off the hook. I'm like, that's what our foreign powers, our foreign allies are writing about. They're always like popping champagne. I mean, this is oligarchs popping champagne corks. Remember just a couple of days ago we got rid of the anti oligarch statute that went after Russian oligarchs and took all of their yachts and planes and property as a punishment to Russia. This is a great week for oligarchs and people who participate in bribery and extortion. And a terrible week for our Moderate people or progressive people, fair minded people that believe that's not what America should stand for. So we'll continue to follow all of it. What can we do about it? Not much at the present time. It lets off the hook all the companies that are currently being investigated. It just signals, I mean, if I'm inside of a company right now in America, I throw out that entire chapter in the corporate handbook and in the corporate training about Foreign Corrupt Practices act. And I just say, yeah, even though we're changing our internal ethics of our company and because the president says so, we're back to bribing again like before 1978. So everybody have, if I'm the CEO, I'm like, everybody have on my desk to Monday morning all the places where we can improve our business dealings if we just bribed more and let them explain that, by the way, to the shareholders, that there's now gonna be apparently a section in the accounting records in the financial reporting of a company that lists bribes. What are you gonna put legal expenses? We're just gonna be gangster about it. We're just gonna say it out loud. We're bribing people. We spent $100 million last year bribing ex official in Africa in order to get control of the oil fields. I mean, you know, this administration can't end soon enough for most people. You know, I have friends that are Republican. I know it's hard to believe. And they told me over dinner last night that they're really happy about the. I mean, as much as we're not. They're really happy about the first, you know, two weeks. And then when you really start picking away at it. Well, what are you happy about? Oh, well, he's, he's back to being erratic and, and he doesn't care. And he's a bomb thrower. I'm like, well, how does that help us? You know? Are you okay with getting rid of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? Oh, I haven't read enough about that. Are you okay with. They ignore all the things that don't fit their narrative. What about the Jan6 part? Well, I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to talk about that. I want to do it here on legal AF of the Midas Dutch network. I'll continue to follow. Apparently what we're watching is the corruption, I'd say the corruption of the Trump administration. But I think it came in corrupt. So I think we're just following it and continuing to do that. And we got to speak truth to each other. And then we can speak truth to power. So we're doing that here on Midas Dutch Legal AF. Take a minute. Come on over to Legal AF, the YouTube channel. While I'm on the road, I'm trying to keep up with all the hot takes and videos there. Help me out, too. Hit the blue subscribe button or the subscribe button. Help us continue to grow that pro democracy channel. Till my next hot take from somewhere else in America, I'm Michael Popak.
- [10:51]
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In collaboration with the Midas Touch Network, we just launched the Legal AF YouTube channel. Help us build this pro democracy channel where I'll be curating the top stories, the intersection of law and politics. Go to YouTube now and free subscribe @legalafmtn. That's egalafmtn.