Congress should exercise its oversight authority in the event President-elect Trump or members of his administration engage in conflicts of interest, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday.
“Ultimately, the relevant observers here will have to conclude based on the details of the announcement once it’s been made,” Earnest said of Trump’s announcement earlier in the day that he would soon strike a deal that would remove himself from his international business.
“Certainly, Congress has oversight responsibilities that should transcend partisan loyalty,” Earnest said.
The White House press secretary encouraged the media to hold Trump accountable as well.
“All of you are going to have to spend some time demanding transparency,” Earnest told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
Earnest noted Obama placed his assets into treasury bills when he took office, thereby eliminating conflicts related to his personal fortune, which is small relative to Trump’s wealth.
“What I can tell you is what President Obama’s approach has been, which is simply to abide by an extraordinarily high standard of not just following the letter of those ethical requirements but also following the spirit of those ethical requirements,” he said.
Trump announced on social media Wednesday that he would soon sign “legal documents” that would end his involvement with the Trump Organization “in total.”
Critics have questioned whether simply ceding his corporate authority to his children would be enough to preclude conflicts given his children’s continued involvement in his transition process.
