Liberal Forum

Misty » 03 Feb 2018 11:32 am » wrote:PROFITING FROM THE PRESIDENCY:
A YEAR’S WORTH OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

INTRODUCTION

On January 11, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced to the American public that he would not divest from his businesses—including hotels, golf courses, trademarks, office buildings, and other assets—before being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

The move was met with widespread concern, as former executive branch ethics officials, government watchdog groups, and the then-head of the Office of Government Ethics warned that the Trump presidency risked being compromised by massive conflicts of interest.

As CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder explained, “[e]very decision [Trump] will make as president will be followed by the specter of doubt, and will be questioned as to whether his decision is in the best interest of the American people or the best interest of his bottom line.”

During President Trump’s first year in office, CREW worked to monitor, log, and categorize every instance in which government and special interests interacted with the president’s private businesses.

The results were posted on the interactive timeline Trump Inc.: A Chronicle of Presidential Conflicts.

Ultimately, CREW recorded more than 500 timeline entries related to potential conflicts of interest.

While it would be almost impossible to adequately summarize the full collection, we can offer three broad takeaways from this effort:

FIRST, President Trump and other government officials have routinely visited Trump properties and promoted them throughout the past year, signaling to those seeking to influence the government that the president’s commercial properties are important new centers of power and influence.

-President Trump spent a full third of the first year of his administration—121 days—visiting his commercial properties.

-Seventy executive branch officials, more than 30 members of Congress, and over a dozen state officials visited Trump Organization properties during the first year of the Trump administration.

-President Trump and his White House staff promoted the Trump brand by mentioning or referring to one of the president’s private businesses on at least 35 different occasions during the president’s first year in office.

SECOND, far from this signaled access to power being an empty promise, those who patronize President Trump’s businesses have, in fact, gained access to the president and his inner circle.

Indeed, it appears that at least some of those guests are trying to use that access to exert influence.

THIRD, the promotion of the president’s businesses as centers of power and influence appears to be paying off: During President Trump’s first year in office, a variety of industry groups, foreign governments, and political committees patronized his businesses.

-There have been more than 40 instances of special interest groups holding events at Trump properties since January 20, 2017.

-Eleven foreign governments have paid Trump-owned entities during the president’s first year in office, and at least six foreign government officials have made appearances at Trump Organization properties.

-Political groups spent more than $1.2 million at Trump properties during the president’s first year in office. Prior to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, annual spending by political committees at Trump properties had never exceeded $100,000 in any given year going back to at least 2002.

Taken together, the 500+ entries on the Trump Inc. timeline present a clear picture of a presidency being used to turn a profit and the president’s businesses serving as points of access to the corridors of power.

As many feared, President Trump is not only making money in spite of his official position—in many cases, he’s making money because of it.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PATRONIZING TRUMP PROPERTIES

Over the past year, President Trump and other government officials have routinely visited Trump properties and promoted them in the public sphere.

This type of free promotion sends a clear message to groups seeking to influence the federal government that the president’s commercial properties are important new centers of power and influence.

https://www.citizensforethics.org/profi ... residency/

its all PAY FOR PLAY!