CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER
Trump Says USA Is Crazy for Enforcing FCPA
26 Corporate Crime Reporter 21, May 17, 2012
The Donald has weighed in. And he says that the USA is “crazy” for enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
“If you want to operate in Mexico, you have to pay bribes,” Donald Trump said on CNBC’s Squakbox program. “This is how business is done.”
Trump was reacting to a New York Times expose about Wal-Mart bribery in Mexico.
“I know a lot about Mexico,” Trump said. “Mexico is a mess. This country (USA) is absolutely crazy. They prosecute people for going over to Mexico and China and getting business and creating jobs in this country. Why are we prosecuting all the time? Let Mexico, let China or let these other countries prosecute.”
“What are we doing prosecuting people to keep China honest? Every other country goes into these places and they do what they have to do. It’s a horrible law (FCPA) and it should be changed. We are like the policeman for the world. It’s ridiculous.”
Trump said that – “you will do business nowhere” if you live by the FCPA.
“And to think that we prosecute these people,” Trump said. “China would have a great gripe. And Mexico and lots of other countries would have a great gripe. Every other country is doing it (paying bribes.) And we are not allowed to do it. It puts us at a huge disadvantage. Let them clean up their own act. We shouldn’t be cleaning up the act for them. We are not leading the world anymore. And it’s things like this that cause us not to be able to lead the world. The world is laughing at us.”
“There is an answer. Go to your room, close the door, go to sleep and don’t do any deals. The only way you are going to do (deals) is the other way. It’s fine for India to prosecute. But for this country to prosecute because something took place in India is outrageous.”
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