More than two dozen ethics attorneys and good government groups are urging President-elect Trump to immediately divest from his businesses and place the assets and investments in a “genuine” blind trust.
“It must be clear to all that any domestic and foreign-policy decisions you make are not being influenced by your business arrangements and family relationships or by your investment holdings,” said the letter, which the groups sent the day after news reports that Trump would remain as the executive producer of The Apprentice TV show during his presidency.
Twenty-nine groups and individuals signed onto the letter, including chief ethics attorneys for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Richard Painter and Norm Eisen, respectively. Others who signed on were Arne Carlson, the former GOP governor of Minnesota; former Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla.; and several left-leaning ethics groups such as People for the American Way, Common Cause, Public Citizen and the Project on Government Oversight.
“Ethics and conflict-of-interest rules and norms are not partisan or ideological issues,” the letter said. “It has long been understood that these are safeguards to protect the integrity and credibility of government decisions and actions, and the interests of the American people.”
The letter gives Trump credit for promising in a Nov. 30 tweet to remove himself from all of his “business operations” and his decision to announce more details about the plan Dec. 15.
Subsequent comments and news, however, have ethics groups worried, including suggestions by Trump and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway that Trump’s children will manage all of his business enterprises.
“If taken, this approach will still leave you and your immediate family as the financial beneficiaries of the businesses, with your family managing them and the business enterprises entangled with your presidency,” they wrote. “This will not solve the real or apparent conflict of interest problems you face as president.”
They warned Trump against being in a position where his family-run businesses become a factor in how he makes decisions as president. “It will create the widespread appearance that the way for countries to curry favor and gain advantageous treatment from the United States is to do business with your children and the Trump businesses,” they wrote.
During the presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was heavily criticized for similar appearance problems – that foreign countries were trying to influence her policies when she was secretary of state by contributing to the Clinton Foundation, a charitable organization run by former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton.
