Trump Son-In-Law Has His Own Conflicts of Interest
New York Times: “Since the election, intense scrutiny has been trained on Mr. Trump’s company and the potential conflicts of interest he will face. But with Mr. Kushner laying the groundwork for his own White House role, the meeting at the Waldorf shines a light on his family’s multibillion-dollar business, Kushner Companies, and on the ethical thicket he would have to navigate while advising his father-in-law on policy that could affect his bottom line.”
“Unlike the Trump Organization, which has shifted its focus from acquisition to branding of the Trump name, the Kushner family business, led by Mr. Kushner, is a major real estate investor across the New York area and beyond. The company has participated in roughly $7 billion in acquisitions in the last decade, many of them backed by opaque foreign money, as well as financial institutions Mr. Kushner’s father-in-law will soon have a hand in regulating.”
Ethics Office Struggled to Get In Touch with Trump Team
“The office tasked with overseeing ethics and conflicts in the federal government struggled to gain access to leaders of the Trump transition team, and warned Trump aides about making decisions on nominees or blind trusts without ethics guidance,” according to new emails obtained by MSNBC.
Trump Set the Example for Republicans
Frank Bruni: “Donald Trump rightly reprimanded House Republicans on Tuesday for their move to disembowel the Office of Congressional Ethics, but let’s not be duped or dumb. This was like a crackhead dad fuming at his kids for smoking a little weed.”
“Their conduct hardly measured up to his, which obviously encouraged it. When they look at him, here’s what they see: a presidential candidate who broke with decades of precedent by refusing to release his tax returns and thus shine a light on his conflicts of interest. A president-elect who has yet to spell out how he would eliminate those conflicts — and who has, instead, repeatedly reminded reporters and voters that he’s under no explicit legal obligation to eliminate them at all. A plutocrat whose children have toggled back and forth between his government activities and his corporate interests, raising questions about the separation of the two.”
“Is it any wonder that House Republicans felt O.K. about trying to slip free of some of their own ethical shackles, no matter how ugly the optics?”
Why Republicans Reversed Course on Ethics Office
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House GOP Reverses Course on Ethics Office
House Republicans decided to pull a controversial rule which would have weakened the Office of Congressional Ethics before voting on the full rule package, NBC News reports.
Politico: “It was supposed to be a jubilant day for the right — a day Republicans ushered in a new GOP-controlled Congress as they await the takeover of the White House by their party leader, Donald Trump. Then came a self-inflicted public relations debacle that even Trump publicly questioned — and the whole day unraveled from there.”
The Media Just Got Played Again By Trump
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Republicans Just Made Their First Big Unforced Error
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House GOP Guts Ethics Panel
“House Republicans voted Monday night in favor of a proposal that would weaken Congress’ outside ethics watchdog and remove its independence,” CNN reports.
Politico: “The office currently has free rein, enabling investigators to pursue allegations and then recommend further action to the House Ethics Committee as they see fit. Now, the office would be under the thumb of lawmakers themselves.”
“The proposal also appears to limit the scope of the office’s work by barring them from consider anonymous tips against lawmakers. And it would stop the office from disclosing the findings of some of their investigations, as they currently do after the recommendations go to House Ethics.”
Trump Says He Won’t Do New Business Deals
Though he canceled a news conference meant to address ethical concerns around his business empire, President-elect Donald Trump said late Monday night that “no new deals will be done” by his real estate business while he is in the Oval Office, the New York Times reports.
“But the move is unlikely to satisfy critics, including the government’s official ethics office, who have said the only way for Mr. Trump to avoid such conflicts is to entirely divest his stake in the Trump Organization.”
Politico: Voters doubt Trump will keep his business interests separate
Trump Has a Massive Web of Conflicts
Former Bush White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter:
One of Mr. Trump’s most lucrative initiatives has been the licensing of the Trump brand — and name. There are Trump-branded properties like towers and hotels in some 20 countries. .
This first presents an ethical problem: No president should allow his name to be put on commercial properties in return for payment. The presidency is not a branding opportunity. President Trump can’t do this unless he wants to create the impression that he is being paid off.
But it also presents a global security risk. A building branded with the name of an American president — any president, but perhaps especially Mr. Trump — would be a tempting target for terrorists and other enemies of the United States. Who is going to protect the buildings?
Democrats Plan Assault on Trump’s Ethics
“Democrats are looking to create big headaches for Donald Trump over his unprecedented ethical conflicts,” Politico reports.
“In the 11 days since the Republican’s upset victory, the president-elect’s political opponents have hammered him for giving no sign that he will follow historic norms and really separate himself from his vast financial holdings. They’re baffled that Trump and his family are still promoting their businesses, especially on an official transition website, and they’re questioning how Trump’s son-in-law can legally land a job in the White House.”
Ethics Lawyers Say Trump Must Sell His Business
Think Progress: “Members of the Electoral College should not make Donald Trump the next president unless his sells his companies and puts the proceeds in a blind trust, according to the top ethics lawyers for the last two presidents.”
“Richard Painter, Chief Ethics Counsel for George W. Bush, and Norman Eisen, Chief Ethics Counsel for Barack Obama, believe that if Trump continues retain ownership over his sprawling business interests by the time the electors meet on December 19, they should reject Trump.”
Schock’s Father Worries Lawmaker Will End Up In Jail
Dr. Richard Schock told ABC Chicago that he was worried his son, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), might end up in prison over “paperwork” problems.
Said Schock: “Two years from now he’ll be successful, if he’s not in jail.”
He added: “If they’re going to convict him on paperwork, then they’re going to convict him. That’s their privilege. They’re out to get him and they’re making issues out of things that really shouldn’t be issues.”
Phony Reimbursements Led to Schock’s Resignation
“On Monday evening, Politico began asking questions about tens of thousands of dollars of reimbursements he received from his campaign and federal government for mileage put on his personal car. Records show that Schock personally claimed reimbursement for roughly 170,000 miles driven from January 2010 to July 2014. But the only vehicle he owned during that time was sold with just 80,000 miles on the odometer.”
“Asked for his response to those findings, Schock announced his resignation.”
The Hill: “His decision means congressional investigators will likely drop their probe into possible ethics violations because they no longer have jurisdiction. But Schock could still face criminal charges related to some of his questionable, excessive spending. That could add up to staggering legal fees, a possible court case and even jail time.”
Schock Ethics Investigation Begins
“Investigators from the Office of Congressional Ethics have begun reaching out to Rep. Aaron Schock’s political orbit, a possible first sign of an official investigation of the Illinois Republican,” Politico reports.
Meanwhile, BuzzFeed reports Schock spent $5,123 on “what appears to be a fairly accurate replica of ‘The Falcon’ — the internal White House nickname for one of President Obama’s official podiums — and based on photos, uses it at times when speaking in his Peoria, Illinois, district.”
And the Chicago Sun Times reports that after Schock “dipped into a campaign fund to pay $73,896.96 for a Chevrolet Tahoe and put the SUV in his name, he later charged taxpayers for mileage.”
Schock Benefited from Donor Projects
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “has built much of his personal wealth over a decade through real estate investments with political donors, an Associated Press review found. His relationships with other contributors, which afforded him flights on private planes and other expenses, are already under scrutiny.”
“Donors built, financed and later purchased a house Schock owned as an investment in a suburb of Peoria, Illinois. Schock owns a stake in a Peoria apartment complex involving other contributors. And he pushed for a federal appropriation that would have benefited a donor’s development project.”
Another Improper Trip for Schock
“Add another trip to Rep. Aaron Schock’s list of potential headaches. Schock appears to have improperly accepted money from an outside group to cover travel expenses for a companion on a trip to India and failed to disclose it in a possible violation of House rules,” according to a National Journal review of public records.
