Foreign money trips up Trump

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Ethics gurus Richard Painter and Norman Eisen may have full-time employment during a presidency distinguished in its transition by its blithe indifference to foreign meddling in our democracy and by its own glaring conflicts of interest. They have put together a handy video to explain President-elect Donald Trump’s  most egregious conflict of interest, namely the imminent  violation of the express words of the Constitution regarding receipt of foreign payments. It’s well worth taking a few minutes to watch:

Stephen K. Bannon or Reince Priebus would be smart to sit Trump down to watch the legal admonitions. As the experts explain, the emoluments clause on Jan. 20 becomes an ongoing source of scandal, illegality and distraction. Allowing Trump to keep his foreign sources of income — and his domestic ones, for that matter — amounts to an invitation for graft. We have already seen everyone from Trump’s sons to Corey Lewandowski putting out the shingle: The influence-peddlers are open for business!

Wait until the foreign potentates begin greasing the skids for better relations with the United States — a permit for a Trump golf course there, a clothing deal for Ivanka Trump over there, a flurry of banquet bookings by foreign delegations at Trump hotels everywhere.

Laurence Tribe writes:

Trump’s continued interest in the Trump Organization and his steady stream of monetary and other benefits from foreign powers put him on a collision course with the emoluments clause. Disentangling every improper influence resulting from special treatment of Trump’s business holdings by foreign states would be impossible. The American people would be condemned to uncertainty, leaving our political discourse rife with accusations of corruption. These problems are exacerbated by the fact that Trump has regularly declined to make his business dealings or tax returns transparent. Thus a specter of skewed incentives will haunt a Donald Trump presidency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/12/22/foreign-money-trips-up-trump/?tid=pm_opinions_pop&utm_term=.7962bf4efa12