How far is too far? The Trump impeachment debate begins now. [View all]

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/329654-its-time-to-seriously-explore-trumps-financial-ties#.WPi8UDY5Lco.facebook

How far is too far? The Trump impeachment debate begins now.
By Brent Budowsky, opinion contributor - 04/20/17 09:20 AM EDT

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The Trumps are running the White House like the epicenter of a family business, while the president keeps quiet on his tax returns after repeatedly promising during the campaign to release them and his White House visitor logs. All of this after criticizing President Obama for not releasing enough about his past!

The Washington Post, New York Times and other news outlets have published long, detailed stories describing rampant conflicts of interest involving Trump and his administration.

Isn't it amazing how many close advisors to Trump have had meetings with Russians, including agents of influence and bankers associated with Vladimir Putin? Was there collusion or coordination between Russians and the Trump campaign? Does Trump have business interests or loans tied to Russia or other unfriendly nations that influence his decisions as president?

Trump, who offered phony populism throughout his campaign, has created an administration that is the height of crony capitalism, insider transactions, conflicts of interests and "pay for play". Compared to Trump, Bill and Hillary Clinton look like St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Theresa.

The Senate Intelligence Committee should subpoena Trump's tax returns to determine whether Trump has business interests with Russia, China or other foreign nations that could influence his decisions as president.

Senate Democrats should demand that, before any tax reform is enacted, there must be full disclosure of Trump's tax returns and business interests to determine whether the president is pushing tax laws that benefit him financially.

Our Founding Fathers believed in a presidency that should never be used for personal financial gain for the president or his family. I am not today calling for the initiation of impeachment proceedings against Trump, but I am suggesting that Professor Lichtman is right: America should now begin a serious debate about how far is too for the leader of the land of the free and the home of the brave.