Why did Mitt have his fortune in a "blind trust"??

[kentuck]

Can he get away with that?

Do all millionaires and billionaires have their fortunes in a blind trust?

How long has he had this "blind trust"?

It is my understanding that investments are put into a blind trust when they might somehow affect a politicians decisions about conflicts of interest? If Mitt has been a businessman for all these years, why would he need a "blind trust"?

Are we to believe that he has no idea where his money is invested?

Something stinks in Denmark...and the Caymans...and Switzerland...

[Bohunk68]

1. Blind trusts

are as you said, usually only done by politicians who have already entered political life. And, he has done that some time ago. Remember, he was Governor of MA. And, he has been running or preparing to run for political office for some time. So, I would think that it would be appropriate for him to put all his assets in a blind trust. Doesn't surprise me in the least. Can we fault him for that? I really am not sure.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. blind doesn't mean you don't know what's in the trust, though does it? Just

that you don't select contents?

Obviously you can know what's in it if they found out Mitt had Fannie Mae stock

[KharmaTrain]

6. Blind Trust Is What It Says...

You can find out what's in a blind trust but its after-the-fact. Gneut found out through going through Mittens disclosure forms and his 2010 tax returns.

This Fannie Mae game is just that...anyone who was invested during the "go-go" days of a decade ago had a money invested in real estate "securities"...that's why Mittens nailed Cadrich in having them in his portfolio as well.

Mittens knows what's in those trusts but he doesn't have the control to move assets around...but it doesn't prohibit the trust from investing in companies or sectors that can and will come back to haunt him in the future. When you're that filthy rich, a good chance you've got money invested all over the place, including in stocks and funds that can and will be used against you in a political campaign.

My hopes are Mittens wakes up one morning (if he hasn't already) and says that his ego just isn't worth all this...take his money and go far far away from the American political system...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Only afterwards via the tax return, not in real time

All high ranking pols have them, including Obama

[malaise]

2. Willard is the posterchild for all that is wrong

with corporate raiders.
He hid his income from everyone - a complete and total ReTHUG scumbag.
An unpatriotic nasty piece of work

[badtoworse]

3. In a blind trust, the trustee has full discretion over how the trust invests the money...

...and the grantor of the trust (in this case, Mitt) cannot direct those investments. In fact, I believe the grantor does not even know how the money has been invested by the trustee. Politicians do this to avoid conflicts of interest that could occur if the grantor were in a position to direct public spending in a way that would benefit his own investments.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. see my misplaced post

[HopeHoops]

8. Because he can't see what's going on with the real America.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Because Mitt has been running for President since 2007.

[MisterP]

10. Bush, Sr., put his manhood in one for 1988