With President Donald Trump’s refusal to divest himself of his business interests, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all documents relating to conflicts of interest, now or future, in his business enterprises. The ACLU writes that it is important to expose any conflict of interest issues to foster confidence in government, secure global trust in the American presidency and protect national security. (ACLU, January 19, 2017, by Brett Max Kaufman)
The ACLU took legal action to emphasize that Trump was not above the law and published a seven-point action plan including demanding government accountability and transparency and protecting First Amendment rights. (The Huffington Post, January 20, 2017, by Paul Blumenthal)