Is Trump a Target for Blackmail?
By Thom Hartmann A...
"No new deals" might be the new mantra in Trumpland - but the problem is still the same: Donald Trump's entire presidency is going to be one big conflict of interest.
For months now, Trump has been pressed to explain just how he'll divest from his massive business empire once he takes office.
There are some very real constitutional questions at stake here, and the president elect was supposed to use a press conference this Thursday -- his first since the election -- to answer them.
But Trump has now cancelled Thursday's press conference and rescheduled it for some time in January before the inauguration, effectively the last possible moment he could push it back to without getting into some very sketchy legal waters, sketchier waters than he's in right now.
The only new information we really have at this point about Trump's divestment plan is from a series of tweets he sent out last night.
Even though I am not mandated by law to do so, I will be leaving my busineses before January 20th so that I can focus full time on the......
Presidency. Two of my children, Don and Eric, plus executives, will manage them. No new deals will be done during my term(s) in office.
The new plan is apparently to hand off the Trump Empire to Eric and Donald, Jr. after January 20th under the explicit condition that they make "no new deals" while daddy is president.
While this obviously sounds better than the alternative -- a Trump business empire under control of the Trump sons that IS capable of making new deals -- but it's still a huge conflict of interest.
Even if they aren't making new deals, Eric and Don, Jr. are still Donald Trump's sons, and any foreign or domestic assets they control will be seen by powerful people all over the world as a way to gain leverage over the President of United States and vice versa.
There's also the question of security.
Once Donald Trump takes office, every single one of his hotels, golf courses, and casinos will become a target for terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
And unlike, embassies or consulates, they're soft targets.
With a few exceptions, these hotels, golf course, and casinos have no armed guards, no barbed wire fences, and no bombproof concrete fortifications.
They're the literal definition of soft targets, and, as long as they're owned by the Trump family, there's no shortage of terrorist or disgruntled groups that will see them as potential targets.
This is true - new deals or no new deals.
So, really, just having Donald Trump in office while his family still owns the Trump companies is a conflict of interest -- for him, the country, and the millions of people all over the world who visit his properties.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Citizen Trump really cares.
Comments
#2
I've seen crazy times in this country, but this time is the craziest I've seen. They have dumbed down our populous to the point that we are now faced with the possibility of Trump being the next furher of world history. Wondering when that sick feeling in my stomach will go away.
#3
It is a matter of time. I woud not stay at a Trump location anywhere.
#4
There has to be a young CIA agent with children who gets it! He or she needs to blow on that whistle right now...only days left.
Global humanity has never seen a more dangerous and out of control individual rise to such a high position of power.....an individual who with his insane clown posse are about to plunge the entire planet into a darkness never before seen.
I'm sure there will be many safe havens/witness protection offered to the agent/patriot who steps forward with the intel of collusion between Trump and Putin.
#5
Here's a "deal" you simply can't (literally) refuse, folks: In his new addendum to the "War on Terror" (and a boon for his defense industry, billionaire buddies -- you know, haha, jobs), the taxpayers can foot the bill to provide "big league" security for his business interests around the world. Hey, Trump's interests are your interests, dear citizen. You know it's coming.
#6
Being a president or senator is supposed to be a temporary break in ones normal work
life, and not a lifetime career.
Is Trump supposed to sell all his companies just to be president for 4 years?
Did Jeffereson have to sell his land and slaves before taking over
as president?
ct
#7
Read the "emolument" clause in Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution. The Founders were very clear, very forceful about office holders not receiving any benefits whatsoever from foreign interests. Period.
Because of the nature of the Trump Organization and it's widespread name-brand marketing, etc., in so many countries, it would be impossible to comply with this boilerplate law without completely severing his ownership. If not, he would be in direct conflict with the Constitution on day one of his Administration and subject to impeachment, if the House Republicans had the spine to proceed. Shuffling the whole mess off to his kids doesn't pass the smell test, the laugh test, or even come close to what is required.
Of course, in a fascist oligarchy (look at his cabinet picks), who's going to effectively contest it? A Republican Congress? The People? Man, do I have a Trump Tower to sell!
#8
Or maybe an anonymous Russian brother or sister will hack and leak the evidence of collusion. Certainly Putin has many enemys near him capable of this.
#9
I will never trust a word he says. He isn't an honest person. His only committment is to money & greed. He is hiding much - still no tax returns - how & why did Russia(Putin) want to help Trump? This is my question.....He's not to be trusted.
#10
I don't know about terrorists attacking Trump's golf course or one of his many hotels. However, Mr. Hartmann, you thought about a novel plan of attack. Still, I question its efficacy. If it does happen, I'll be the first to yell, "Damn!! Thom Hartmann predicted it!!"
As far as Trump's conflicts of interest, it seems like the Republicans in Congress are indifferent about it as well. A law that is not enforced is not an actual law. Granted, a conflict of interest isn't a law, but a mode of conduct appropriate for a profession. Still, Republicans seem willing to let any conflict of interest slide so long as they can impliment their right-wing agenda. Peter Schweizer, or Clinton Cash, brought up this very concern in an opinion piece published on Breitbart. I was surprised to see that he was being critical of Trump on Bannon's former site.
Perilous times may create some strange bedfellows. I'm still shocked that I agreed with Sara Palin's crony capitalism comment.
#11
Calm down Thom. Few people have enriched themselves from being POTUS as much as the Clinton's. Remember they were totally "broke" when they left the White House. These poor folk had to steal our furniture, silverware, and china from the White House just so they had a place to set their food when they huddled around the old campfire at dinnertime. (They must have squandered away the cash they made from their Whitewater investments or Hillary's "lucky" investment in cattle futures in 1978 while at the Rose Law firm where her initial $1,000 investment had generated nearly $100,000 when she stopped trading after ten months.
What a difference a few years make,
Now, they run a personal slush fund of $2,000,000,000 (that's BILLION) mostly comprised from countries and large donors outside the US, command a $250,000-$700,000 per half hour speech, and have an undisclosed personal net worth.
Daughter Chelsea luckily landed a $600.000/yr. job at NBC with no experience. Nice starting salary which saved her from needing an allowance from her investment banker husband and allows them to purchase their "starter home" for $10.5 million.
Go Donald, keep driving them nuts.
Below is just shit to give Legend something to do today.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/05/politics/hillary-clinton-bill-clinton-paid...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton_cattle_futures_controversy
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/06/us/elusive-papers-of-law-firm-are-foun...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/timelin...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/06/13/what-did-...
http://www.factcheck.org/2016/05/the-clinton-furniture-flap/
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=121856
http://www.dailywire.com/news/8561/7-things-you-need-know-about-clinton-...
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/politics/clinton-foundation-explainer/
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/chelsea-clinton-foundation-marc-hu...
http://www.weeklystandard.com/chelseas-husband-to-close-greek-hedge-fund...
http://www.weeklystandard.com/chelseas-husband-to-close-greek-hedge-fund...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2293195/Chelsea-Clinton-buys-new...
#12
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit." -- W.C. Fields
Karl Rove calls it "dump trucking." If you're not on the side of truth, dump so many lies that nobody can possibly untangle them all.
Nice try.
#13
deepspace:
I think she succeeded, but you're too traumatized to understand.
#14
The foxmerized will all be traumatized within a year or two....what happened to my affordable health insurance? Why does my water taste and look so weird? Why is my social security getting cut in half? The $5000 voucher doesn't quite cover the cost of my $20,000 private for profit medicare health insurance! What...... and I now have to be 70 to qualify for medicare???? Why have my local property taxes doubled? Why are only the billionaires getting a giant tax break and mine are going up? Why are jobs still going overseas? Why has the stock market crashed?..oh that's right, China divested in us. Why are hate crimes and mass shootings far more common? Where is that wall? What ...I have to send my kid to a school with teachers who only have high school diplomas , a school with no sports program and mandatory prayer class.??? Why are all of those illegal citizens still here working for guys like crooked Donny? Why did we get hit with a massive terror strike again? Why is the weather so fkked up? ..and I'll be saying I told you so!
#15
President Obama should exercise executive order and force the recount of the PROVISIONAL Votes.
The Democrats are a good party but need to exercise Grit and Guts.
#16
@14
Probably best answered with this.
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No New Deals? There's One "New Deal" I'm particularly concerned about and it WAS an old and well established one.