Back in June I spoke up when I heard of the "coincidental" overlap between The Clinton Foundation's list of prominent benefactors and the list of those who were approved for coveted international trade and arms purchase deals by Hillary Clinton's State Department. No concrete proof of impropriety, no paper trail...a nod by Bill, a wink by Hillary...and things just happened. RED FLAG!
Now it's Donald Trump's turn. Today there was a story released by Newsweek that showed the potential conflicts of interest that might exist between Donald Trump the businessman and Donald Trump the President of the United States.
To his credit, Trump is an exceptionally astute businessman. He seeks out opportunities worldwide where he can partner with powerful, plugged-in foreign business interests to expand his brand. These foreign interests are often chummy with the leadership in their respect countries, such as Russia, China, India, Turkey, various Middle Eastern countries, etc. He is also a staunch believer in leverage, which means using borrowed money to grow his business. And as the owner of a privately held corporation Mr. Trump keeps these partnerships in the shadows as much as possible, which is understandable. Nothing wrong with any of this.
But now he just might become the President of the United States. Can you imagine a situation where a country, where Mr Trump the businessman has interests, might do something detrimental to the interests of the US? What would happen if the wayward foreign leader threatened quietly through channels to call a massive Trump loan due, or perhaps even nationalize a Trump interest in that country?
Would President Trump cave, or compromise, and possibly agree to things that were not in the best interest of the United States? We can't take that chance. This would be an obvious conflict of interest between Trump the businessman and Trump the President. RED FLAG!
Mr Trump says if elected he would put his assets in a "blind trust"....he would turn over all operations of The Trump Organization to his kids for them to run. Oh pah-leeze!
The only way a blind trust would work would be if all the assets of The Trump Organization were liquidated and the proceeds put in the hands of a third party to be invested in ways and places that left President Trump completely clueless where his fortune was. I doubt THAT is something Mr. Trump would be willing to do.
Now our combined candidates are 0 for 2, which explains their dismal "trust" poll numbers.
S
