Ep 65 - Trump’s Anti-Corruption Rollback: Executive Order Sparks Global Concerns

Episode #65 with Tom Fox & Malcolm Nance, plus Philip Rohlik 

This episode is devoted to discussing the recent executive order signed by US President Donald J. Trump instructing the Department of Justice to halt enforcement of the decades old, much-dreaded Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) pending a one-year review. In our initial “Regulatory Ramblings Spotlight” segment, we speak with Philip Rohlik, an American attorney in mainland China with the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton to get a sense of what the president’s decision means for Hong Kong and the broader Asia-Pacific. 

Following that, we have a lengthier chat on the global implications of President’s Trump’s move with Tom Fox, a veteran compliance and anti-corruption lawyer, noted FCPA specialist and podcaster, as well as Malcolm Nance, a former US naval intelligence officer, counterterrorism specialist and author. 

About the guests. Philip Rohlik is a counsel in the Shanghai office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He is a member of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Defense and International Dispute Resolution Groups whose practice focuses on international investigations, securities law and dispute resolution. 

He is recognized by “The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – Greater China” (2024-2025) for his anti-corruption and compliance practice and has been described as “very thorough and hands on," and "excellent investigation lawyer". 

Based in Asia since 2011, Philip leads the firm’s dispute resolution team in Shanghai. He joined Debevoise in 2000, having received his J.D. magna cum laude from the New York University School of Law that same year. He received a B.A. summa cum laude with honors from St. Louis University in 1997. 

Tom Fox is based in West Texas and a prominent member of the compliance community and one of the most well-known legal practitioners when it comes to the FCPA. Over the past 15 years, he has been a general counsel and chief compliance officer. He is now an independent consultant, assisting companies with anti-corruption, anti-bribery compliance, and international transaction issues. 

He is also the author of the award-winning FCPA Compliance and Ethics Blog and the international best-selling book “Lessons Learned on Compliance and Ethics.” His podcasts have won numerous w3, Davey, Communicator, and Webby awards for podcasting excellence. 

Tom is the author of the seminal text “The Compliance Handbook,” now in its 5th edition published by LexisNexis. In addition to his blog and podcast, he is a columnist for “Corporate Compliance Insights” and a contributing editor to the “FCPA Blog.” He is a well-known and frequent speaker on compliance and ethics issues, social media use, and corporate leadership. 

In the interests of full disclosure, Tom is founder of the Compliance Podcast Network which also carries this program. 

Malcolm Nance is based in upstate New York. He was a 20-year veteran of the US Navy where he was an intelligence officer and cryptographer, and a Russian and Arab language specialist. In his capacity as a master chief, he was responsible for discipline all throughout the ranks. 

He is best known for his appearances on MSNBC where he warned about Russian interference in the run up to the 2016 and 2020 US Presidential elections. Malcolm is also a best-selling author – with his books “The Plot to Hack America,” “The Plot to Destroy Democracy,” “The Plot to Betray America” and most recently “They Want to Kill Americans” – all of which are well worth reading. Given the radical actions of the second Trump administration, his two most recent books seem eerily prescient. 

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