The Donald Ducks Conflict Of Interest Issue
By SueN
Donald Trump finally gave his first press conference as president elect of the United States yesterday, and it was exactly the circus show everyone expected it to be.
Right off the bat, Trump pushed back against the wild new allegations that the Russian government is blackmailing him with stories of his sexual escapades at a Moscow hotel.
He called these allegations "fake news" and blasted the mainstream media for reporting on them.
And while that was crazy enough, things got even weirder when Trump started talking about how - as president - he was going to deal with the giant conflict of interest presented by his personal business empire.
After refusing once again to release his tax returns, Trump brought some tax lawyer named Sheri Dillon on stage to explain why he's not doing the constitutional thing and divesting himself from the Trump Organization.
According to Dillon, his plan is to instead just hand things off to his sons Eric and Donald Jr. for the next four years.
Eric and Donald Jr won't be allowed to make any new foreign deals - and will theoretically have to have domestic deals reviewed by an ethics advisor - but Daddy Donald will still be the official "on paper" owner of the Trump Organization.
In other words, he still has a giant conflict of interest on his hands.
As long as he maintains some connection to his businesses, he has every incentive to use the office of President of the United States to enrich his sons, his family, and himself.
He basically admitted - or bragged - as much at the end of his press conference, joking about how if his sons weren't doing a good job after he leaves office, he'd fire them.
These papers are all just a piece of the many, many companies that are being put into trust to be run by my two sons and I hope at the end of eight years, I'll come back and I'll say, oh, you did a good job. Otherwise, if they do a bad job, I'll say, "You're fired."
Republicans just spent the past 8 years railing against President Obama and so-called crony capitalism - how can they possibly feel comfortable with this situation?
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Comments
#2
I think we should refer to the president elect as "Dicky Trump".
His supporters would surely respond with "His name is Donald!"
Our response would be, "No.. he's definately a dick."
#3
Thom, Your entire perspective is confrontational and partisan, I dont really care about things like his taxes. I do care about reasons why he won, like not escalating our military activity in the mid east, the corruption of our politicians by outside interests, which to me is not the same as Trumps conflicts of interests. He's here to work in our government, if he can put his business on hold to focus on that, I really dont care. These are the reasons Hillary lost. I'm just tired of hearing all of this negative bs about Trump, we spend more time working against each other than anything. There are some upsides to Trump. All this reminds me of how the R hated and obstructed Obama. I would have preferred a different outcome in this election, but continuous ranting does more harm than... Calling him Donald Duck says it all, I find it unprofessional.
#4
Hey we had movie stars before as the front man for Team Oligarch, this is the first total con man "entrepreneur" Uncle Donny the Drumpfster mob-boss gone Bollywood head-tilt looney, he wins.
GOP has got the super gerrymander & vote-count fraud crew to feed into dead people voting in the Electoral College, oh they were alive? ... anyway likely that's filled with lobbyists a thought ...
Can we fire him, hmmm.
Enjoy the show, suggest organic popcorn to be safe.
#5
You SHOULD care about his taxes. They would tell us where and how he got his money, if he really does owe billions to a foreign government, about his many, huge foreign investment entanglements and the like. You think he's not going to favor a country to whom he owes money -- or give perks in his D.C. hotel to some foreign business person he's making deals with. This is important.
#6
You are calling Thom UNPROFESSIONAL??? He can't begin to compare with the unprofessionalism of the big orange man (now we know how he got that peculiar color). He is a disgrace not just to the office, but to business, to the United States as a whole. How can a man who has become a laughingstock govern?
It is not partisan to say so; it's simply the truth.
#7
Trump has promised us many good things, but his one repeated statement casts a shadow on all that might be..."I like winning". Naturally, we would assume that he was including us. But I don't think that's the plan. Sharing prosperity is not the corporate way. He's old and set in his business ways. He will throw us the occasional bone, but, his business will come first.
#8
For Republicans, the liberal concern about Trump's conflict of interest doesn't matter. They have a lot of what they want: control of the Hose, nearing 60 seats in the Senate, will appoint 1-3 Supreme Court justices in the next four years, appoint 105 federal judgeships, control of the governorships and legislatures in thirty states and a very energized base. Trump is a distraction the GOP will use to gain more power; because, the Democrats will spend too much time, money and energy fighting him. Meanwhile, THE GOP will whittle away at downsizing government to be small enough to flush down a toilette, privatize Social Security and Medicare, reduce corporate taxes, increase the military and provide for more religous freedoms to be expressed in public, business, schools and governments.
#9
Much of which is true about Trump, but mistaking all this ranting as a constructive point forward, just seems so counterproductive. I can see it from the public, but the MSM, analysts, commentators... they're all about the Trump doom and gloom, can you imagine a respected journalist like Amy Goodman referring to him as Donald Duck? With all I've heard and seen from the media this past year, I believe they've lost their way, people listen to these journalists, they influence public opinion and we can hear it echo everywhere. I think the media may be one our biggest stumbling blocks to fair elections. I believe there are far more constructive ways to interact with Donald Trump, despite all of his shortcomings.
#10
@#8:
You nailed it!
The real danger to 'We the People," and the original intent of the Founders that all power is invested with the People, are the antics not so much of the foolish clown soon fouling the Oval Office (unless he twitter-storms us into more war, pray not nuclear), but the whole circus of really scary clowns in Congress, who are scrambling to turn over what little is left of our democracy to the truly evil puppet masters, who have already stolen most of the wealth -- and principles -- of our nation.
Lest we forget:
Preamble to the Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
@#3:
Your entire (confrontational and partisan) perspective is entirely naive and suffering from contradictory logic. Please look in a mirror as you type.
#11
Eight days to Trumpocolypse.
#12
Anybody got the testicular fortitude to impeach?
#13
Is Kenneth Starr still there?
This is the eleventh hour
Where is the man?
#14
Last night I watched PBS Newshour and they interviewed the ethics advisors for both former President George W. Bush and President Obama, both agreed this is a major conflict of interest. Trump seems to think he was made dictator not president. Also I believe he keeps his family so close around him because he is on the verge of senility and they are there to sort of hold the line. He has backtracked on virtually everything he previously said and I trust him as far as I can throw him. He said he wouldn't touch Social Security and Medicare, yet Sen. Sam Johnson of Texas has written H.R. 6489 which wants to raise retirement age to 69, used the already disproved chained CPI for COLAs and make both programs part of sequester and subject to automatic cuts.
#15
Were your criticisms there with all the overblown allegations and name calling of Hillary Clinton and frankly even other GOP primary candidates. Trump seems to have absolutely no problem engaging in infantile name calling, rants, and bragadoccio (sp?). When I watched Obama's farewell speech, he spoke intelligently of the things he had tried to accomplish on behalf of the American people, pitfalls facing this country, and heartfelt thanks to members of his staff and his family. When I watched Trump, all I heard was "I, I, I, I, me, me, me" etc. He has a tragically inflated view of himself; refuses to accept intelligence from experts, insists Putin is a "friend", etc. He is a danger to our country and all it stands for. And while I'm at it, I am disgusted by Republicans trying to destroy the Ethics Committee (right before vetting Trump's picks), Ryan's attempt to ban TV cameras from the House floor so they can push through their attacks on Social Security and Medicare without the public being wiser, and now passing laws at midnight also to circumvent public scrutiny. Perhaps they should buy an island somewhere and just establish their own Banana Republic--and please, take Donald Trump with you!
#16
I think the GOP is letting Donald go wild and Pence is pretending to go along with him -- all the while compiling articles of Impeachment with his every move and with very little attention passing hundreds of bills in their vote-a-rama. They have ethics and conflict of interest issues, colluding with an enemy, conducting business with Countries under U.S. sanctions, Treason, conspiracy to hack into the DNC (remember Nixon was told by the GOP to resign or be impeached for the physical break in of the DNC Office -- conspiring with Russia to hack in is even worse).
And this week some of Trump's cabinet nominees are distancing themselves from him on a number of issues -- Russia as an enemy, support of NATO, no support of torture, etc. They will still be acceptable when Trump is impeached and President Pence steps in (maybe even worse for us but at least predictable).
And poor Trump, holding his first "Press Conference" so strategically on a day when he would draw attention away from confirmation hearings of his most contentious nominees. Instead it drew National attention to the salacious spy report of his sexual escapades in Moscow and made him look like a crazy tyrant in his attack on CNN and a free press.
I think the GOP loves it -- it's taking the pressure off of them while they pass all their bills under the radar and builds up the case for Impeachment of the crazy man and installation of their guy Pence.
#17
Seems to me there is no difference between Trump's business dealings and our other representatives who hold interest in insurance companies and pharma putting forth legislation about health insurance and drug coverage for we the people. LOL. this country has become a farce.
#18
Kelly Ann - "You shouldn't listen to what President-Elect Trump (-2,864,974) says.
You should listen to his heart."
President-Elect Trump's (-2,864974) Heart - "Pussy! Pussy! I want to grab some Pussy!"
#19
Three threads of reality, which nobody can honestly deny, weave through virtually everything this man-child has ever said or done in response to almost every situation he has ever encountered, no matter how petty or how serious: he has no empathy, no self-awareness, and is not very bright.
Republicans in Congress will probably never impeach him for his inevitable violations of the Emoluments Clause in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution, as long as he serves as their useful idiot and can hold a pen in his little hand to sign regressive bills.
He will undoubtedly cede the domestic agenda to Congress and therefore be free to muddle through the intricacies and pitfalls of a hopelessly complex foreign policy, of which he understands little, other than how it might affect an overseas business empire leveraged up to his shifty, puffy eyeballs.
God only knows to whom he is indebted, which conflict of interest will explode first, or when terrorists will attack the many soft targets displaying his pompous name front and center. Do not expect the aggressive generals and greedy billionaires surrounding him, championing their own radical agendas, to approach the world with any more sense of humility, compassion, or caution than the imprudent king who chose them for his court.
The confluence of events unfolding does not bode well ...
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
#20
Quote Helloo:Kelly Ann - "You shouldn't listen to what President-Elect Trump (-2,864,974) says.You should listen to his heart."
President-Elect Trump's (-2,864974) Heart - "Pussy! Pussy! I want to grab some Pussy!"
You ignore the man's genitals (which are actually the part of him calling for pussy), and credit him with having a heart.
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk - You flunk biology, and Trump 101.
#21
If anybody doubts my "you're going to need eight years of therapy" comments, just re-read this entire thread.
#22
... because you're a paragon of mental health, privileged to define the sanity of all those less enlightened poor souls. Well, ahem, other than being enamored with a creepy old man who likes to grab the pussies of young ladies without their permission.
There may be a good reason you are obsessed with therapy. Unrequited desire can overwhelm good judgment. Please seek help.
#23
Relax deepspace, I have already sought help and the diagnosis was, plastic surgery or a belt sander would be needed to wipe the smile off my face.
#24
Thom, while trmp seems obsesed with twitter while ignoring the media, Why not start a campaign to have his twitter account shut down. Surely marcket pressure could be applied.
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Donald Trump seems to truly believe he is above any law that governs the presidential seat in the White House. My take on this is that he and his family want to be America's Royal Family...his kids sit in with his meetings with international leaders, his son-in-law is his #1 advisor, and he does not think he has to release any of his private business or tax papers. I guess he doesn't really have any idea what the UK's Royal Family does or doesn't do. He just likes the titles of King, Queen, Prince and Princess. I also believe that because he is such a loony tune his children are afraid to leave him alone.