Presidential Conflicts of Interest

[Dill]

(12-02-2016, 04:17 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: The influence a POTUS wields over policy within this country and policy regarding how we deal with other countries is an extremely effective option for further enrichment, especially as there is no rule against presidential conflicts of interest since it is a constitutional office.

There are no effective conflict of interest laws at the moment because there has never been a president with so many potential conflicts. How will union conflicts with his hotels affect his labor policies? He owes money to the bank of China. He won't release his tax returns. But there are rules against gifts and bribes. And the perception of self-dealing could unite enough opposition in Congress to plug some of these apparent holes with legislation.

Trump has some breathing space at the moment. No one is sure how to identify all the potential conflicts or how to hold him accountable for them.  But he shows little interest in the kind of self-regulation important to previous presidents. Can he talk to any world leader without discussing building permits or tax breaks for his hotels?  And I don't think he can let go of his Trump "empire" the way Obama could convert most of his assets to treasury bonds. So conflict is inevitable. And he doesn't handle pressure well, which will exacerbate matters.

Also, I think he himself did not really think through these potential problems, or assumed he could manage them on the fly with smoke and mirrors, as he has done for much of his real estate business. In the next few months, I expect some ad hoc attempts to create an appearance of distance between himself and his business, and then use legal means to stall and deflect accountability as long as possible.