Federal prosecutors are investigating Carl Icahn’s former role advising President Donald Trump, as well as the activist investor’s attempts to change an environmental rule that he opposed, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Icahn was named as Trump’s special adviser on overhauling federal regulations in December 2016. According to the White House, he didn’t have an official government role, but the appointment cemented his unofficial status as a sounding board for the president, The Journal notes.
The inquiry into Icahn, who resigned from the role in August, could add to claims that the Trump administration has aligned itself too closely with business interests, especially on matters of regulation, The Journal adds.
Icahn’s company, Icahn Enterprises LP, said it received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York seeking information about activities related to his role as adviser to Trump and to the Renewable Fuels Standard, the rule he opposed, The Journal informs.
“I never had access to nonpublic information or profited from my position, nor do I believe that my role presented conflicts of interest. I never sought any special benefit for any company with which I have been involved, and have only expressed views that I believed would benefit the refining industry as a whole.” Icahn wrote in his resignation letter to Trump back in August.
The activist investor had long been publicly campaigning to change the environmental rule, which governs how renewable fuels can be added to gasoline. The Journal notes that Icahn played a role in helping Trump chose Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, which was responsible for the rule.
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