Donald Trump's decision to leave his children in control of his fortune during his presidency was already an unusual and eyebrow-raising setup. And on Friday, it became even more so. A day after Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, announced that Trump's three oldest children -- Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric -- would control what he labeled a "blind trust" for the president-elect, the Trump campaign announced Friday afternoon that all three would also serve on Trump's presidential transition team executive committee. In that role, the trio will have input when it comes to the people Trump picks for key administration posts.
Watchdogs who were critical of Trump's "blind trust" in the first place say this proves that the lines between President Trump and his money will be too fuzzy under this setup.
"The fact that they have been included as part of the transition team just shows how inappropriate their role in bridging the gap between him as a businessman and politician is," said Meredith McGehee, a strategic adviser at the Campaign Legal Center. "It’s a clear demonstration that there is no firewall between the two."
McGehee and others have also cast doubt on the idea that the so-called "blind trust" is actually blind at all. She calls it a "one-eye-closed-and-one-eye-open trust."
In addition to blurring the line between Trump's presidency and his money, skeptics note that his children will now also have control over the people who will be put in charge of regulatory decisions that could affect his multi-billion-dollar fortune. Kenneth Gross, a political law expert at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, said it would be okay for Trump to involve his kids in the transition, but their dual roles are problematic.
"If the children run the so-called blind trust and also serve in some governmental capacity, formally or informally, this would further exacerbate potential conflicts and ethical issues caused by not separating his business holdings from his governmental functions," Gross said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...blind-trust-setup-just-got-more-questionable/
Watchdogs who were critical of Trump's "blind trust" in the first place say this proves that the lines between President Trump and his money will be too fuzzy under this setup.
"The fact that they have been included as part of the transition team just shows how inappropriate their role in bridging the gap between him as a businessman and politician is," said Meredith McGehee, a strategic adviser at the Campaign Legal Center. "It’s a clear demonstration that there is no firewall between the two."
McGehee and others have also cast doubt on the idea that the so-called "blind trust" is actually blind at all. She calls it a "one-eye-closed-and-one-eye-open trust."
In addition to blurring the line between Trump's presidency and his money, skeptics note that his children will now also have control over the people who will be put in charge of regulatory decisions that could affect his multi-billion-dollar fortune. Kenneth Gross, a political law expert at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, said it would be okay for Trump to involve his kids in the transition, but their dual roles are problematic.
"If the children run the so-called blind trust and also serve in some governmental capacity, formally or informally, this would further exacerbate potential conflicts and ethical issues caused by not separating his business holdings from his governmental functions," Gross said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...blind-trust-setup-just-got-more-questionable/
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