The President of the United States, one Donald J. Trump, holds that office in large part because he has been a successful businessman.
He is, as he loves to tell us, “very rich.”
Because of all that money and business success, Trump is at nearly constant risk of finding himself embroiled in huge conflicts of interest.
Back in January, shortly before taking office, Trump told the public that he would be removing himself from the day-to-day working of his businesses. Of course, he still benefits financially from all of his businesses, including the ones that house and feed his entire entourage every weekend in Florida.
Trump vowed to call a temporary halt to any new international business expansion, and to hire a special ethics lawyer to oversee any new domestic development.
Sure.
The latest business venture by the company that Trump created involves the building of a chain of hotels across the country. The hotels would be less gaudy than the usual Trump properties, with rooms costing a mere $200 to $300 per night.
It would also be the first set of hotels not to bear the name Trump. Perhaps in an effort to duck conflict of interest charges, these new hotels will operate under the name “Scion.”
Although a Trump spokesman gleefully told the press that the operation is moving forward “full steam,” under the direction of “the boys,” not everyone is happy about the latest venture.
Richard Painter is not exactly a left wing activist. He was the chief ethics lawyer for the George W. Bush administration. He knows how to deal with the conflicts that arise when a very rich guy with very rich friends becomes President. He didn’t mince words when he talked about the Trump business situation. He said:
“This is the new version of pay-to-play, ‘Get in there and do business with the Trump Organization.'”
You remember the phrase, “pay to play,” of course. That was the phrase that the Republicans, and specifically the Trump team, used against Secretary Clinton during the campaign, alleging that any donation to the Clinton’s philanthropy meant a direct conflict of interest.
Oh, the hypocrisy. The Trump camp seems determined to commit every single egregious crime they once attacked Clinton for doing.
And let’s not forget all the times that Trump and his minions declared that we couldn’t possibly elect a person under investigation by the FBI.
Want to see?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZiCGOnpXM
Featured image by Steve Jurvetson via Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)
