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Another reason NOT to elect Trump...think it over!!

Another reason NOT to elect Trump...think it over!!

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by: calguy Active Indicator LED Icon 1 OP 
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:39am  
Copied from Time Website.This was all a part of the Trump way. From his first flirtations with running for office two decades ago Trump has made no practical distinction between his political interests and his business promotion. The braggadocious showman has hawked bespoke water and a long-defunct steak business, while taking his campaign to five golf courses in two countries, three hotels and a winery. Should he win the White House, he has publicly suggested he would retain ownership of his empire, while passing day-to-day control to his children. That would make a Trump presidency unlike any in modern American history, with a commander in chief who is able to directly influence his net worth almost daily from the Oval Office.Could he profit from promoting his holdings in office? Absolutely, say legal scholars. Just as there is no law barring a candidate from using his soapbox to make money during a campaign, Trump will be able to promote businesses he continues to own from the West Wing podium. He would also have wide latitude to take official acts that benefit his empire. “There would be nothing that would preclude him from making a decision on trade or otherwise that could impact, for better or worse, those interests,” says Don Fox, the former General Counsel and Acting Director of the Office of Government Ethics. “It simply would not be a violation of law.”That’s because the nation’s founders designed a system where the President is primarily answerable directly to voters. The potential for conflicts of interest is ingrained in a government “of the people.” James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers it would be “vain” to believe that future leaders could always separate the self-concern from the national interest. “Conflict of interest for elected officials has been kind of embedded in our constitutional framework,” said Richard Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush. As ethics laws were written and revised over the years the rationale has remained the same—no issue can be off limits for a president.That means Presidential press conferences could be legally held from the Trump hotel, where a president Trump continues to boast of the property’s offerings. Trump bottled water could be served in the White House, and Trump could choose to stay in his properties on foreign trips. Lobbying groups courting his favor would be allowed to hold conferences in his hotels or retreats at his golf courses. And Trump would be free to hawk to the masses where they can purchase his wardrobe collection.But that does not mean that President Trump would be free of all criminal and constitutional scrutiny for his business operations. There are two main legal limits he would have to be wary of, ethics experts say: Traditional prosecution under government bribery laws and a little noticed provision in the constitution known as the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits U.S. officials from taking money from foreign sources without consent of Congress.Bribery laws are traditionally straightforward, and can be investigated by the Justice Department or congressional committee. If Trump committed a specific official act in exchange for a specific financial benefit he could be liable. (For instance, if someone promised to buy a condo in his building or hold a conference in his hotel in exchange for signing a piece of legislation.) A criminal probe could be conducted within his Justice Department, but it would likely require the appointment of special prosecutor, which could only be done with his consent. Congress could also seek his impeachment for wrongdoing.The constitutional barrier is a bit less clear-cut. The Emoluments Clause bans anyone holding government office from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title” from a foreign government without congressional approval. The clause has been the subject of almost no legal scholarship or case law, but has been interpreted by Congress and the Office of Legal Counsel to prohibit even the smallest arrangements, like educational scholarships and business consulting deals from foreign interests.The prohibition extends even to U.S. service-members subject to recall to active duty, and to dealings with universities and corporations controlled by other governments. Senate Republicans raised questions earlier this year with the Department of Justice whether Bill Clinton’s paid foreign speeches may have violated Emoluments Clause, though no action was ever taken. “This isn’t a law that can be fixed—it’s the Constitution,” said Painter.For Trump, whose web of foreign business interests extends from Azerbaijan to Panama, taking office could put all of those deals under renewed scrutiny. Even Trump’s oft-touted status as landlord to the Bank of China in Trump Tower could place him in jeopardy, if the state-backed bank agreed to pay above-market-rate rents in the future.Should Trump win, every business agreement that his companies enter could be the subject of congressional investigation into potential violations of the Emoluments Clause, Painter said. “Every one of those contracts if he becomes President must be at arms length,” said Painter, “or he can get himself impeached.”Trump has made clear he won’t follow his processors and take steps to avoid the appearance of conflict. Past party nominees and presidents have placed assets into Office of Government Ethics-sanctioned blind trusts or at least index funds. Trump has only said he will pass off control of his empire to his three elder children who serve as executives at his company. He has said he won’t transfer ownership, likely because it would incur a 40% ‘gift tax’ penalty.The result is that Trump will be hardly unaware of what he holds and where he stands to make money. Most of his buildings have his name on them, after all. “I would put it in a blind trust,” Trump said in a January 2016 primary debate. “Well, I don’t know if it’s a blind trust if Ivanka, Don and Eric run it. If that’s a blind trust, I don’t know. But I would probably have my children run it with my executives and I wouldn’t ever be involved because I wouldn’t care about anything but our country, anything.”Such an arrangement would be unprecedented in the modern era. Painter, the Bush ethics lawyer, said that he would advise Trump to remove all potential vulnerabilities either by selling his entire portfolio either to another business or through a public offering, and to place the resulting cash into an OGE-sanctioned blind trust.Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has faced scrutiny too over her ties to her family’s global foundation. She and former President Bill Clinton have promised to step down from the board if she’s elected, and the group has taken steps to significantly curtail its fundraising and operations in preparation. But the ethics officials recommended that Chelsea Clinton also remove herself from the group for the sake of appearances. Clinton has said that the determination about her daughter’s role will be made after November 8.But in the end, American voters are likely to be the ultimate regulator of how much the next President is able to entangle personal and family business interests in office. No law requires Trump to divest his holdings or even Bill Clinton to stop collecting checks overseas on his speaking tours. “They could both do absolutely nothing and it would be legal,” Fox says. “It would come down to optics and the remedy would be the next election cycle.” 4951
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thegoodwife Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:45am  
I'll be voting for Trump..... and have no problem doing it! Hillary sux s big time and Johnson is a kook. All the pot he smoked must have affected his brain. 4951
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Fallon Active Indicator LED Icon 18
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:45am  
Removed By Request 4951
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sweetie Active Indicator LED Icon 11 Forum Moderator
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:51am  
Hillary sold favors to foreign countries to fatten her and Bills wallet. Bill said the other day if Hillary is elected they will remain working at the Clinton foundation and the Clinton global foundation . Chelsea also will continue to work there. Hillary was supposed to curb the foundation when she became secretary of state and did she No. She scares me a heck of a lot more than he scares me . When you start selling your country out for favors to me it becomes treasonous. If Hillary gets elected you can bet all of her foundations will swell with the money that will be pouring in. Crooks. As a woman, I cringe at the idea that her dh, a sexual pervert will again be back in the WH. I would have more respect for her if she said I'm running for office but my husband will not be moving in there because of his past assaults on women .i have no respect for her at all. 4951
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calguy Active Indicator LED Icon 1 OP 
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:51am  
Surprising how many of the posters here have evidently taken the infamous Cynthia Woods rapid reading course  My post was up not even a few minutes when all the responses appeared.  Hmmm?  4951
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myevilgrin Active Indicator LED Icon 6
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:53am  
#NeverHillary 4951
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thegoodwife Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 9:57am  
Surprising how many of the posters here have evidently taken the infamous Cynthia Woods rapid reading course  My post was up not even a few minutes when all the responses appeared.  Hmmm? 
 
@calguy: You do know we can read your posting simultaneously...   Emoticon   j/k
4951
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BooBear Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:01am  
Surprising how many of the posters here have evidently taken the infamous Cynthia Woods rapid reading course  My post was up not even a few minutes when all the responses appeared.  Hmmm? 
 
@calguy:
 
Did you find it a difficult read? Took less than a minute. It's fluff and the only attempt of any sort of trying to sound even a tiny bit factual and legitimate was the last paragraph, saying Bill could possibly do it too.
 
I don't care who anyone votes for, that is their choice but it does worry me that votes are cast based on opinion pieces like this. If you cannot come up with your own words as to why or why not you are voting for someone, then maybe you should sit this election out. (Not directed at OP, just my feeling in general) 4951
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sweetie Active Indicator LED Icon 11 Forum Moderator
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:02am  
Hillary should not even be a candidate. After all the bleaching of her computers, destroying 13 phones, being bribed by foreign leaders, lying, bengazi deaths, etc. State dept employees working also for her foundations. This woman reeks of corruption. 4951
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Fallon Active Indicator LED Icon 18
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:03am  
Removed By Request 4951
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friday1 Active Indicator LED Icon 9
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:09am  
Copied from Time Website.
 
@calguy: All that reading and it did not change anyway I think.I am sure california will be blue for hillary,
4951
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doddlebug Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:39am  
Vote TRUMP and help America become successful and safe again.  Too many scandals and dishonesty with the Clintons. 4951
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SwaggyG Active Indicator LED Icon 8
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 10:50am  
Removed By Request 4951
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justanirishgirl Active Indicator LED Icon 10
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 11:07am  
I don't need another reason not to vote for Trump. I need a reason  to vote at all! 4951
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Stealth83 Active Indicator LED Icon 16
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 11:12am  
Removed By Request 4951
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hlh212 Active Indicator LED Icon 1
~ 7 years ago   Sep 25, '16 11:20am  
This is almost comical to read... so the Government is suggesting that some in Government give up control of everything thing they have built to become president so as to not appear to be unethical. Not sure the person who wrote this has been watching the news at all.  The Clinton's have appeared unethical for, I don't know, 2 or 3 decades?  Have you read anything on the Clinton Foundation?  DO you honestly think Trump does not understand the relationship between his business and the his role as POTUS and that will be under daily scrutiny by a bunch of brain dead sycophants that will vote HC.I honestly have such a great concern for this country that the race is so close. This shows me that there are, at best, half of this great country are so uninformed to not see through media BS and see the Clintons for what they are, regardless of your political view points.  There is right and there is wrong.  The things the Clinton's have done are so obvious wrong yet people turn a blind eye as to supposedly stop Trump?  Not even sure why I took the time to type this because honestly trying to convince people of this mind set is not something that is achievable most of the time.  4951
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