Donald Trump’s “Swamp” Grows Ever-Larger
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 12, 2018
“President Trump continues to set the example for his Administration of how to abuse public office for personal gain.”
Donald Trump’s Washington “swamp” is growing exponentially these days.
Here are just a few examples of his ever-deepening swamp:
Former EPA head Scott Pruitt had so many ethics problems and had become such a public liability that Trump finally had to let him go – but only after doing nothing for months while ethics problem after ethics problem became public. Pruitt’s current replacement? A former coal industry lobbyist who helped lead an industry fight against EPA regulations dealing with health issues and climate change.
The family business of presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner is moving to create deep financial relationships with companies that have important business pending in Washington.
The President’s daughter Ivanka keeps growing her business opportunities in China where the bulk of her merchandise comes from. Her latest trademark approvals by the Chinese government were followed by President Trump’s agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to bail out the Chinese technology firm ZTE, viewed by many as a security threat to the United States.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has failed to dispose of assets he committed to divest in his confirmation hearings. According to Forbes, “For most of last year, Ross served as Secretary of Commerce while maintaining stakes in companies co-owned by the Chinese government, a shipping firm tied to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, a Cypriot bank reportedly caught up in the Robert Mueller investigation and a huge player in an industry Ross is now investigating. It’s hard to imagine a more radioactive portfolio for a cabinet member.”
President Trump continues to set the example for his Administration of how to abuse public office for personal gain.
The President all but invites lucrative financial deals for the Trump Organization from foreign and domestic interests looking to curry favor with his Administration. Just this week, President Trump is taking a break in the middle of his trip to Europe to rush over to Scotland to promote a golf club he owns there.
It’s not too hard to imagine that President Trump and his Administration will go down as the most corrupt and self-dealing for personal gain in our lifetimes.
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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections.
