Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., called on House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, to investigate President Trump’s potential business conflicts of interest.
“I think it would be something that is relevant and I think it is something that is long overdue,” the former top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee told MSNBC Thursday.
She said that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway should not have encouraged Americans to buy items from Ivanka Trump’s clothing line in the wake of Nordstrom’s decision to drop her clothes.
“That is a clear violation,” Sanchez said. “You cannot use your public office to promote the products, goods of services of any private entity for profit. In this case, I think what is even more egregious than Kellyanne Conway exhorting people to go purchase those goods [is], it happens to belong to an industry that is part of the president’s holding. And I just think that’s an egregious breach of ethics, and it’s really concerning.”
Sanchez said the House Ethics Committee has no jurisdiction over the executive branch, or even senators, for that matter, but that Chaffetz’s committee can and should launch an investigation.
“Whether or not Republicans in the House are more committed to protecting and serving the best interest in the county or the best interest of their president remains to be seen,” she said. “We’re looking for some Republicans with some backbone.”
After Chaffetz met privately with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, he said they did not discuss any potential violations by the president but that he is committed to vigorous oversight of the administration.
But he also said that he is not inclined to open probes of a “personal” nature.
“I would also remind people I never did a personal investigation of Barack Obama; I didn’t do it of Hillary Clinton; I just didn’t do that,” he said. “It would have to rise to a very high level for us to do that.”
Chaffetz also said that Trump, and all presidents, are exempt from criminal conflict-of-interest laws.
“So the Democrats can flail and complain and run around with their heads cut off but the reality is he’s exempt from this,” Chaffetz said.
