Former President Obama on Tuesday said the president “shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles,” signaling there should be a clear ethical standard for those occupying the Oval Office.
“A good policy that I’d like to see followed is that the president of the United States shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles that those companies and foreign entities can invest in,” the former president told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show.”
Obama’s comments come after President Trump’s critics have raised concerns with his decision to accept a Qatari jet with intentions to use the carrier as the next Air Force One.
During his second stint in office, others have flagged potential corruption as private companies back Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project and his family’s cryptocurrency stock has significantly grown.
Obama said he thought it was a “pretty obvious principle” not to engage in “side hustles” while serving as commander-in-chief.
During the segment, Obama also critiqued efforts to “politicize” the military and operations at the Justice Department.
“The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere. …There’s a bunch of stuff that we can overcome,” he said. “We can’t overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system.”
“The awesome power of the state,” the former president continued. “You can’t have a situation in which whoever’s in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends.”
Obama also took aim at Trump for pardoning people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
When asked what powers he believes the president should not have, Obama said, “Although this is in the Constitution, it’s a little hard to change, but maybe don’t pardon people who’ve given you a bunch of campaign contributions or invested in your businesses.”
Those comments came days after he defended his selective criticism of Trump, alleging that his impact would be diminished if he spoke on every misstep.
His latest remarks came on one of the last episodes of “The Late Show.”
Colbert’s longtime comedic vessel for political witticism about pop culture is set to air for the last time on May 21 after his public spat with Trump over a $16 million settlement with Paramount, the parent company of CBS.
