because we might be seeing a lot of it over the next four years...
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) said today that Trump's announced plan to mitigate his potential conflicts of interest is woefully inadequate:
http://tinyurl.com/zzsverv
A lot of folks, including Trump and his lawyers, say that Trump as President is not subject to conflict of interest laws. The OGE disagrees. The President has always been exempted from a conflict of interest because he needs to be able to deal with other countries without being accused of self-dealing.
It was never intended to allow a President to enrich himself or his family. Trump refuses to divest himself from his businesses, and tells us, with a straight face, that his sons will run them and they'll never, ever discuss the family business over the next four years. If you believe that, I can get you a really good deal on a bridge in Brooklyn, but you have to act NOW.
Clearly, if Trump as President is faced with making a decision that could possibly impact his family's business, there's a conflict. If Trump as President is faced with a decision that might affect his own interests after he leaves the Presidency, there's a conflict. The idea that POTUS can do whatever he wants to do without fear of challenge is completely wrong.
He said today in his press conference that he's the only one who can be POTUS AND run his business at the same time. Unless you're planning to not sleep at all over the next four years, that's impossible. POTUS is not a part-time job; at some point. I hope someone is going to tell him that. |
