Billionaire 'Corporate Raider' Carl Icahn Steps Down as Special Adviser to Trump

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has stepped down from his role as special adviser to President Trump amid concerns over possible conflicts of interest. In a letter to Trump published by Icahn on Friday, the investor defended himself against accusations from several Democratic lawmakers who say he pushed a change to U.S. biofuel policy for his “own personal gain.” Despite those claims, he said, “I never had access to nonpublic information or profited from my position, nor do I believe that my role presented conflicts of interest.” Icahn went on to tell Trump he decided to end his role as adviser “because I did not want partisan bickering about my role to in any way cloud your administration.” Hours after Icahn announced his decision, The New Yorker published a report saying Icahn may be in “legal jeopardy” for pressuring the Environmental Protection Agency to change a federal regulation affecting the oil refiner CVR Energy Inc., in which he holds a 82-percent stake.