Donald Trump's election means he's rolling in the dough now, mostly because of conflicts of interest that involve lucrative business deals and his refusal to move everything to a blind trust. There will be a lot more stories like this in the days to come, guaranteed.
TPM reports on the latest, where Argentine President Mauricio Macri made the usual congratulatory call to him and Trump used the opportunity to line his pockets.
According to a report out of Argentina, when Argentine President Mauricio Macri called President-Elect Trump to congratulate him on his election, Trump asked Macri to deal with the permitting issues that are currently holding up the project.
This comes from one of Argentina's most prominent journalists, Jorge Lanata, in a recent TV appearance. Lanata is quoted here in La Nacion, one of Argentina's most prestigious dailies. Said Lanata: “Macri called him. This still hasn’t emerged but Trump asked for them to authorize a building he’s constructing in Buenos Aires, it wasn’t just a geopolitical chat."
(For Spanish speakers, here's the original Spanish we've translated: "Macri llo llamó. Todavía no se contó pero Trump le pidió que autorizaran un edificio que él está construyendo en Buenos Aires, no fue solo una charla geo política.")
Separately, Trump's business partner on the project, Felipe Yaryura, was there on election night at the Trump celebration in New York City.
This comes on the same day that reports show Trump was doing deals in Saudi Arabia, even during his campaign, according to reports.
The conflicts of interests are a huge story. They should have been a huge story before the election, but now we're just another petty dictatorship about to be led by an autocrat. Congratulations, America!
Update: Macri's spokesman is now denying this report. It's hard to know whether or not such a denial is genuine, or what a leader might do who knows he has to stay on the good side of the next American president.
Update 2: Here's more on Trump's project:
“The change of government (in Argentina) led us to decide to land on Buenos Aires. The opening of the financial market will bring in international companies who will be intrigued by the iconic building of the city. The Trump brand should be associated with a free market, more than a political sign,” said Juan Jose Cugliandolo, general director of the YY Development Group, the investment group in charge of the project, told the newspaper El Pais de España.
The plan for construction of the Trump Tower was presented before the government in February 2016 and is still awaiting approval. It is pegged to be $85 million dollars.
YY Development Group, is an Argentine investment company that has maintained a close commercial relationship with the new U.S. president and hopes to develop that connection in the future.
