President Donald Trump’s unprecedented misuse and abuse of a pardon power that dates back 250 years serves as a real-world scenario of what can happen when a system of checks-and-balances – like, say, a corporate ethics and compliance program – is upended by a tyrannical executive.
Jaclyn Jaeger
Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal, enforcement, technology, and more. Prior to joining CW, she spent four years as a legal reporter for Lawyer’s Weekly. Jaclyn attended undergraduate school at St. Joseph’s College of Maine and graduate school at Emerson College, earning degrees in journalism.
Part Two: FCPA cases closed by DOJ, SEC since January
Since the start of the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice has been winding down a number of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations with little public attention. This second article further explores how and why these FCPA matters have been closed.
Part One: A case-by-case analysis of FCPA investigation closures
Foreign corruption enforcement relating to national security matters has been a common theme under the Trump administration. A second common theme continues to be the discrete way in which the DOJ has ended several FCPA investigations.
DOJ dismisses indictment against Cassava advisor amid legal flaws
The DOJ dropped a June 2024 indictment against a Cassava Sciences advisor, closing a case tied to an alleged short-selling scheme and related government probes. The case was criticized for fundamental flaws in evidence and legal procedures.
Q&A with former FCPA Unit chief Charles Duross on the DOJ’s monitorship policy
Compliance Week recently interviewed Charles Duross, former Chief of the DOJ’s Fraud Section’s FCPA Unit, to talk about the Department of Justice’s recently revised monitorship policy.
Assessing the impact of the DOJ’s monitorship policy six months in
It has been nearly six months now since the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division released its memorandum on the selection of compliance monitors. This article provides a critical analysis of the monitorships that received early terminations, those that remain in place, and the broader compliance lessons they impart.
Navigating HHS and FDA’s overhaul of the food and beverage industry
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration have been hellbent on eliminating synthetic food dyes from food and beverage products, forcing a jarring and costly overhaul with cascading impacts on the operations of the entire industry.
How food and beverage companies adjust to the throes of tariff woes
On-again-off-again tariffs, a down economy, and a long list of global supply chain disruptions are challenging U.S. food and beverage companies to adjust their supply chain operations in a variety of ways.
PCAOB’s Christina Ho: How emerging technologies could reshape improve audit quality
Emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data analytics, can improve audit quality in significant ways. As the regulatory overseer of public-company audits, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has a critical role to play by ensuring that its audit standards evolve as the audit profession evolves.
Top compliance challenges facing the food and beverage industry
New regulations, changing consumer demands, and global supply chain disruptions – from cost-of-goods inflation to tariffs to raw material shortages, and more – are just a few top challenges reshaping the operations of food and beverage industry today.
“These challenges are no longer just logistical—they implicate sourcing risk, contract performance, and regulatory exposure,” said Holland & Knight partner Meaghan Colligan Hembree. “At the same time, technological advances are raising expectations for data transparency and operational accountability, redefining what corporate responsibility looks like in this sector.”
