As Trump Takes Office, Many Conflicts of Interest Still Face His Presidency
Although President Trump has announced that his adult sons will run his business, he remains vulnerable to conflict of interest accusations because he will continue to own the Trump Organization.
"Its profits will be Trump's profits and its problems will be his problems as the owner," said Fred Wertheimer, the founder and president of Democracy 21, an ethics in government group.
Here are examples of potential conflicts that remain:
Trump International
Hotel, Washington
owns Trump
Organization
the head of which
will be appointed by
which leases the
Old Post Office
Building from the
General Services
Administration
The Trump Organization's contract with the General Services Administration prohibits any elected official of the United States government from being part of the lease or deriving any benefit from it. As president, Mr. Trump is in effect both the landlord and tenant of the building.
Internal Revenue Service
an executive
agency that is
now overseen by
has said his income
tax returns are
under audit by the
Internal
Revenue Service
The head of the Internal Revenue Service is nominated by the president for a five-year term. Republicans have tried to impeach the current commissioner, John A. Koskinen, whose term ends on Nov. 12, 2017.
National Labor Relations Board
owns Trump Hotels
whose members
will be appointed by
which have
occasional disputes
brought before
the National Labor
Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency responsible for enforcing labor laws and safeguarding employees' right to organize.
The five members Mr. Trump appoints will be in charge of investigating complaints brought by workers, which could include those at his hotels and other properties.
Foreign Interests
owns Trump
Organization
that could affect
the bottom line of
which has
business interests
in countries
around the world
that will be
negotiating
foreign policy
with the Trump
administration
Ethics experts warn that, at a minimum, Mr. Trump's holdings around the globe could give the appearance of tainting his decisions on various foreign issues. They could also open him up to accusations that he has violated a part of the Constitution known as the emoluments clause, which prohibits government officials from taking payments or gifts from a foreign government or entity.
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