Politico: Trump gives heartburn to American CEOs
More than two dozen CEOs and other leaders were invited to serve on Trump’s councils, a somewhat symbolic role that gives business executives a chance to bend the ear of the president and potentially win favorable treatment. A number of those leaders, like General Electric's Jeff Immelt, also served on similar advisory councils for former President Barack Obama.
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Advocates say the councils are structured to give executives maximum privacy with the president, with no press in attendance and no formal readout of remarks.
"You have these people meeting in a back room, no idea what they’re talking about, what they’re saying or how they’re influencing the president," said Walter Shaub, who served as the government's ethics czar until last month. "That’s concerning, particularly given [Trump's] conflicts of interest."