Fred Wertheimer – “If Elected President, Trump or Clinton Must End all Family Ties with the Trump Organization or Clinton Foundation”
Last year in a Vanity Fair article, I said that “if Hillary Clinton is elected president, all three Clintons should cut their ties with the [Clinton] Foundation for as long as she’s president.”
This position remains the same today and this same principle also applies to Donald Trump. If Trump is elected president, he and his family must cut all ties with the Trump Organization, which is Trump’s business conglomerate, as well as with the Trump Foundation.
Newsweek published an article yesterday that demonstrates in stark detail the conflict of interest problems that almost certainly will arise if Trump is elected president and it shows why Trump and his family members cannot continue to be involved in Trump’s business enterprises.
The Newsweek article, entitled, “How The Trump Organization’s Foreign Business Ties Could Upend National Security,” found:
A close examination by Newsweek of the Trump Organization, including confidential interviews with business executives and some of its international partners, reveals an enterprise with deep ties to global financiers, foreign politicians and even criminals, although there is no evidence the Trump Organization has engaged in any illegal activities. If Trump moves into the White House and his family continues to receive any benefit from the company, during or even after his presidency, almost every foreign policy decision he makes will raise serious conflicts of interest and ethical quagmires.
Published stories in the past have shown that Clinton would have her own conflict of interest problems if she is elected president and her family members remain involved with the Clinton Foundation. Large donors to the foundation are bound to have interests that would be affected by Clinton’s policy decisions.
In both cases, the opportunities for conflicts of interest and appearance problems resulting from administration decisions are endless and have the ability to dangerously undermine the integrity and credibility of the next president.
According to published reports, Trump if elected will have his children take over the Trump Organization. “Well I will sever connections and I’ll have my children and my executives run the company,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” this week. Clinton if elected apparently expects Chelsea Clinton to remain as a leader of the Clinton Foundation, even if former President Bill Clinton leaves.
In both cases, this is unacceptable and will not work.
The American people are entitled to have a president who will not face conflict of interest charges when an administration decision results in substantial financial benefits to the Trump Organization, or an entity associated with it, or to a huge donor to the Clinton Foundation.
This is true whether the beneficiary is a foreign interest or a U.S corporation or citizen.
Trump must make clear to the country that if elected, all Trump family ties will be cut with the Trump Organization and Trump Foundation.
Clinton must make clear to the country that if elected, all Clinton family ties will be cut with the Clinton Foundation.
There is no other option that will work to protect the interests of the American people and the integrity of the presidency.
