RNC Chair turned Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus did his best to downplay the growing list of conflicts of interest between his new boss and his business interests on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper.
November 20, 2016

RNC Chair turned Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus did his best to downplay the growing list of conflicts of interest between his new boss and his business interests on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper: Priebus: Trump will comply with law in business dealings:

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday vowed that Donald Trump will avoid conflicts of interests with his business while serving as president.

The president-elect had meetings with business partners at Trump Tower in the last week while also preparing to take office in January.

But Priebus said Trump would comply with the law.

"While it's unique, it's certainly complying with the law, and obviously we will comply with all of those laws, and we will have our White House counsel review all of these things," Priebus said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I can assure the American people there won't be any wrongdoing or any undue influence over decision making."

"The truth of the matter is Donald Trump makes the decisions in this operation and while there are meetings that are taking place, it's Donald Trump that makes these decisions and nothing should be further from the truth," he added. "I can assure you and everyone out there that all of these things will be followed, and they'll be done properly."

Complying with the law doesn't mean the conflicts of interest or ethical problems will not exist, and Priebus knows it, as Kurt Eichenwald explained in his piece for Newsweek prior to the election: How the Trump Organization's Foreign Business Ties Could Upend U.S. National Security:

If Donald Trump is elected president, will he and his family permanently sever all connections to the Trump Organization, a sprawling business empire that has spread a secretive financial web across the world? Or will Trump instead choose to be the most conflicted president in American history, one whose business interests will constantly jeopardize the security of the United States?

Throughout this campaign, the Trump Organization, which pumps potentially hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump family’s bank accounts each year, has been largely ignored. As a private enterprise, its businesses, partners and investors are hidden from public view, even though they are the very people who could be enriched by—or will further enrich—Trump and his family if he wins the presidency.

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. It also reveals a web of contractual entanglements that could not be just canceled. 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. Read on...

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