White House Addresses Potential Conflict of Interest for Envoy

According to PANews, the White House has announced that Vitkov has not yet divested his cryptocurrency assets, which include shares in "World Freedom Finance Corporation," a company linked to the Trump family. This situation could pose a conflict of interest for the envoy. A White House official stated that Vitkov has completed financial disclosures and is currently working with ethics officers and legal advisors to ensure full compliance with government regulations, including taking all necessary legal steps to divest his assets. The process of determining which assets appointees need to divest may involve negotiations with ethics officers. If there is prolonged disagreement over which assets constitute a conflict of interest, Vitkov could face legal risks, particularly if he is substantially involved in matters related to his personal financial interests, potentially violating the Criminal Conflict of Interest Statute. Government ethics rules require cabinet members and other senior officials to divest assets that could trigger financial conflicts of interest, although the President is not subject to these restrictions. U.S. President Donald Trump is currently serving in office.