When the national press needs someone to explain government ethics, it often calls Mondale Hall. This week NPR called Richard Painter, the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, about the allegations against Kimberly Guilfoyle. The White House pushed her out as U.S. ambassador to Greece on Oct. 13.
Painter knows the ground well. From February 2005 to July 2007 he was associate counsel to the president and served as the chief ethics lawyer in George W. Bush's White House. He later wrote a book on the subject, Getting the Government America Deserves: How Ethics Reform Can Make a Difference, published by Oxford University Press.
Here are the allegations, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Before her confirmation hearing, Guilfoyle allegedly asked a Trump donor to cover a $100,000 credit card bill and offered access to administration officials in return. She also reportedly told guests at a reception that she could use U.S. influence against the Greek government, and she allegedly promoted the interests of a Greek construction company. White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said, "We have asked ambassador Guilfoyle to resign." Guilfoyle denied the claims, saying, "These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name." Her lawyers said the money she sought was payment she was still owed for earlier speaking engagements and public appearances.
On Morning Edition on Oct. 14, Painter didn't hedge. If you ask someone to pay a bill like that "and you say you're going to do something in return as a United States ambassador to Greece or any other official position, that's called bribery," he said.
He was also skeptical of the timing. Painter suggested the White House was offering up a "sacrificial lamb" weeks before an election to look serious about ethics. He then went through a list of bigger concerns about the Trump administration. He said the president has made more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency after once calling bitcoin a scam, and that foreign governments have invested in Trump family crypto ventures. He also cited stock trading he called unprecedented for a sitting president, Truth Social selling institutional investors "advanced access to the president's posts," and an exclusive Washington club where members pay to "schmooze with the top leaders."
On whether any of this could reach the president himself, Painter said taking bribes may not count as an official act. Even so, he said the Supreme Court's immunity decision makes prosecution "very, very difficult."
If the interview left you wanting the full semester version, Painter teaches Government Ethics and Professional Responsibility at the Law School, along with Business Organizations and Securities Regulation. He is also vice chair of the board of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The 5-minute segment is on NPR's site.
