Susan Rice's Trump critique raises questions about board member speech

Susan Rice criticized President Donald Trump during an appearance on the podcast "Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara," and Mr. Trump responded by demanding that Netflix remove her from its board "or pay the consequences." The exchange comes as Netflix pursues an $82.7 billion bid for Warner Bros.

Discovery that would require approval from the Department of Justice's antitrust division, and governance watchers are split over how politically vocal directors should be. Some experts said Rice's remarks undercut her fiduciary duty. Charles Elson called it "poor judgment" and noted, "You're elected as a director for your judgment." He added, "She has to ask herself, 'Am I a public figure or am I a corporate director?'" and said he avoids publicly staking out political positions: "I just don't think it's in my lane." Others argued the president's reaction highlighted why her comments mattered.

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