Thursday, April 12, 2012

Ann Romney's Trust Facilitates Sex Trafficking

What every working mother worries about:
A blind trust in the name of Ann Romney, wife of Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, was an investor in a fund run by Goldman Sachs Group Inc that had invested in a media company which critics say facilitates sex trafficking. While there is no suggestion the Romneys knew about the investment, the disclosure highlights the difficulty for politicians and their families when they invest in blind trusts that are supposed to protect them from conflicts of interest and ethical questions.

According to an August 2011 financial disclosure report by the Romneys, Ann Romney's blind trust had an investment valued between $15,001 and $50,000 in Goldman's GS Capital Partners III. More at Reuters

Romney apparently doesn't know where his money is invested:
Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Romney, stressed that the funds were managed on a blind basis, "so the trustee, not the Romneys, make their investment decisions." "Furthermore, the trustee invests in funds, but, as a passive investor, has no control over the funds' investments."
What Mitt used to say about blind trusts: