usmbguest5318
Gold Member
For a POTUS who has a long history of deceptiveness, selfishness and misrepresentations of fact, and who also refuses to divest of his personal business holdings while in the office of the President, disclosing his tax returns would be about the best possible way for him to at least provide the information the public needs to have so they can at least know whether his positions are apt to be personally profitable to him.
For me, it's a matter of scale. The man's a billionaire. If he advocates a position that happens to yield him a few hundred grand, I don't care so much. If it's a few million, well, I sort of care. If it's hundreds of millions, I care. If it turns out that his policies form a pattern of consistent gains great and small, well, I definitely care and I'd be inclined to think he's abusing the privilege of being POTUS.
I could take a somewhat less strident position were he to divest truly of his holdings, but he's not done that and shows no indication that he will. Moreover, his kids are on his staff and running the companies. That's just too cozy for us to also have no very detailed visibility to what's what.
It doesn't matter if he put them in his kids names, he will still protect those assets no matter what. The only way he could be 100% conflict of interest free was to sell off those assets which he has not done, and has no intention of doing.
I'd prefer he divest, but I'm not nearly as concerned about whether he actually sells off the assets as I am about visibility. With comprehensive visibility, we can know "what's up." Knowing "what's up," the people, the Congress and the Courts are in a position to hold him accountable and take action if he crosses the line. That's enough for me. His situation is unique -- private mega-business owner rather than owners of public company securities -- so I can get with the idea of taking a little bit different tack. Full and complete disclosure is that tack; that's the compromise with which I'd feel comfortable.
Selling them off is the only way he can be conflict of interest free. PERIOD He hasn't done that and he won't do that. If his kids own those properties he will still protect them.
He isn't going to sell off all his properties. Such a demand is utterly fatuous and absurd. Its only intent is to hurt Trump.
So then you're O.K. with Trump being in violation of the U.S. Constitution--by having conflicts of interest coming out of pore, while you & Trump were demanding to see a US birth certificate coming out of Obama.
"Numerous scholars on the Constitution have cited Article I, Section 9: “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept any present, Emolument, Office or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.”
While the rules of punctuation in force in the late 18th century might seem baffling to present-day eyes, the meaning of the paragraph is clear and straightforward enough. No officeholder should be offered a payoff or inducement, and no one should accept either one from any foreign power."
JULES WITCOVER: Trump gets a free ride on conflicts of interest
The Trump empire has expanded into many foreign countries, including China, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, etc. etc. etc.
Trump's Hotels In China Could Be A Conflict For The President-Elect
Trump sons to attend golf course grand opening in Dubai
Countries where Trump does business are not hit by new travel restrictions
Trump registered eight companies in Saudi Arabia during campaign: report
So then you're O.K. with Trump being in violation of the U.S. Constitution--by having conflicts of interest coming out of pore
Trump could run afoul of conflict of interest laws, but most of them he's exempt from.
- "Except as otherwise provided in such sections, the terms ‘officer’ and ’employee’ in sections 203, 205, 207 through 209, and 218 of this title shall not include the President, the Vice President, a Member of Congress, or a Federal judge.”
Trump is Right, Conflict-of-Interest Rules Don’t Apply to Him
- Here is the clause:
"No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state."
Here is discussion about it: