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Donald Trump to do nothing to resolve conflicts of interest
Donald Trump announced Wednesday that rather than divest himself 0f his various business interests he would instead put his two sons – Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump – in charge of his businesses.
No blind trust
Trump said, “My two sons, Don and Eric, are going to be running the company. They are going to be running in a very professional manner. They’re not going to discuss it with me.”
Trump’s decision to put his two sons in charge of his company, while he maintains his financial stake in the business, essentially does nothing to resolve the vast conflicts of interest facing Donald Trump.
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During the campaign Donald Trump suggested that if he won the election he would place his business and financial interests into a blind trust – however handing the business over to his children to run is not a blind trust.
Donald Trump’s decision does essentially nothing to meet the standard that ethics experts have called for. Trump will continue to hold his financial stake in the business, which means that he will still be subject to the constitutional provisions regarding financial conflicts of interest of the president of the United States.
Donald Trump still not releasing tax returns
During the press conference – his first in 6 months – Donald Trump again refused to release his tax returns. Releasing his tax returns would go a long way to answering questions about his business entanglements and various conflicts of interest. Trump continues to claim that he is under audit by the IRS and that is why he cannot release his tax returns. However, there is confirmation that Trump is in fact under audit. And various experts have said that there is nothing that prevents Donald Trump from releasing his tax returns while he is under audit.
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