Jay H. Ell has the distinct impression Donald Trump didn’t really have the vaguest idea of what being President entailed. (One can hardly believe that it has only been two weeks from election night and one is already suffering from Transition Trump Stress Syndrome). That brings Jay H. Ell to The Donald’s second lapse in his pre election assessment - the idea that he would have to give up Trump Inc if he became President. Once he won he thought he was the boss of America and like being the head of Trump Inc everyone did what they were told. The election was really a takeover bid of America Inc by Trump Inc and get it to work for him. Most important all the Americans, particularly the press and the unfunny late night comedy shows, just would shut up or they would be fired. Much like in the campaign there is so much to talk about that one doesn't know where to start. Lets take the lead from David Frum and just, “Follow the Money.”
One would have thought that The Donald understood the concept of bribery and conflict of interests as he kept on accusing his opponent of conducting a Pay For Play operation. This because she gave interviews to those who donated to the Clinton Foundation. His smears failed to provide any proof that she had done anyone any favors or they had received anything for aiding to eradicate Malaria and Aids. Trump claimed that her election would create a constitutional crisis. Ironically, that is what his is doing, as he might say, “big time”.
So forget about the last two weeks; all the campaign promises he has broken; his appointment to his cabinet of dignitaries that have been cheered on by neo Nazis; his war with the media; his ongoing bizarre addiction with Putin and his Russia; his $25 million settlement in the Trump University Cases ,(a bargain); his admission to the IRS that he misused his Charitable Foundation for personal purposes; the comments that the protestors to his election were unfair; his tweeting battles with the cast of the Broadway hit show Hamilton; his criticism of Alec Baldwin for his unfunny portrayal in the satire of Saturday Night Live of “The Boss of America”; his failure to have a press pool and press conferences - just focus on the mantra - “Follow the Money”.
David Frum, was a former speech writer for George W. Bush and one of a legion of Republican commentators who disavowed Trump and warned against the disaster of a Trump Presidency. Frum makes a lot of sense in that part of the problem in opposing Trump is that before you can attack his latest outlandish policy statement or reversal he is already onto the next two disasters. So for the moment forget about the uncaring bigot or misogynistic liar or foreign policy megalomaniac, who could plunge the world into a nuclear war if you looked at him skew and remember it is all about his money - stupid!
All this is boiling down to the fact that Donald cannot quietly continue business as usual and be President. In a few short weeks serious accusations of bribery, conflict of interests and breaking of constitutional law have emerged.
TRUMP, TRUMP INC AND AMERICA INC.
Like so many other details that were overlooked in a possible Trump Presidency, because no one in their right or left, for that matter, minds thought he could be elected. Thus the question of who would run those gleaming Trump Towers, which punctuate the world landscape, the innumerable franchising operations and his byzantine empire with tentacles everywhere, was neglected. Where it was mentioned his children, who even at that stage were enmeshed in Trump America Inc, would form a “blind trust” and he would get on with saving America and or making it Great Again.
GIVE A CHAP A CHANCE
While Jay H. Ell will be told by his well meaning friends to give him a chance, “He isn’t even in office yet”, what has happened together with the status quo does not portend well for the future. Flexible Trump, now that he has ensconced all his alt friends in key administrative positions, will pardon Hillary, who up to time of going into print has 2 million more votes than him, rethink whether climate change is another liberal plot and even keep the key features of Obama care but there is no way he is no way he is going to liquidate his assets and put them in what everyone understands what a blind trust to be. To date the status is the following with the President Elect:
* He is still CEO of Trump Inc with his children in attendance not only in the businesses but in the transition process in the takeover of America Inc.
- Accepted an expensive present from the Japanese Head of State and had Ivanka and Jared sit in on the meeting.
- Cried to the Argentinian Premier, with Ivanka on the line, to look favorably on granting permission for a project there. (Subsequently denied by him but reporters have not withdrawn story).
- Met Indian Business Partners who gleefully maintained that Trump’s Presidency has given their joint venture more than a shot in the arm.
- Kept the Chinese Government as a tenant in Trump Towers
- Not liquidated his debt to the rogue Deutsche Bank that has been fined so often by American Regulatory authorities and has investigations pending.
- Given us a clue when he is going to show his tax returns which will detail his oversea operations.
- Not reassured his body politic that his mass of products made in virtually every Asian country will be brought back home to create jobs.
- Not divested his interest in controversial oil pipe lines in the USA.
- Not disclosed the details of his vast Middle East and Arab countries business
- Not disclosed his Russian interests or any of the interests of the at least 25 countries that he does business with. (The Wall Street Journal published a story of a meeting between Donald J Jnr. with pro Russian interests in Paris this month)
CONFLICT?
To all this and more Trump’s reply is, “The law is totally on my side. Meaning the President cannot have a conflict of interest.” Trump argues on that he could continue to sign the checks but he would hand that over to his children. “In theory”, he maintained, “I could continue to run my business perfectly and the country perfectly”.There are very few if any legal experts or ethicists that agree with him. Richard Painter, the ethicist in George Bush’s Administration, believes he has to liquidate the whole bang shoot while the advice most favorable to him is to sell his company to his children and have nothing financially or managerially to do with it. There will of course some tax involved!
The New York Times ran an article of the lengths Barak Obama went to ensure that accepting the moneys associated with the Nobel Peace Prize did not contravene the American Constitution. Obama then promptly donated the money to charities lest even the suggestion of financial impropriety hung over his office. The Constitutional provision that Obama was concerned about was entitled The Emoluments Clause, which expressly forbids a President to obtain any moneys from companies that are controlled by foreign governments or foreign governments themselves. Trump is so heavily involved to the extent that he refuses to provide details. At the same time he is a great defender of the Constitution as it was written. He has a list of twenty potential Supreme Court Judges who will uphold it in its pristine 1789 form. He has to be so in conflict with the Constitution that it isn’t funny.
Now the Pay for Play danger is so evident that unless he has no business interests the circumstances will result in daily allegations that his actions were in response to “bribes”. Just take his hotel next to the WhiteHouse. To refresh memories the property was leased from the American Government having being initially been put out to bid. The major hotel companies like Hilton and Marriott informed the Government that for Trump to break even his basic room had to go at $800 a night. Trump has suites that let for $24,000 a night. (Presumably they chuck in breakfast). Now which foreign dignitary in their right mind when visiting the President would stay anywhere else? They would also, Jay H. Ell assumes, become frequent visitors to all the Trump Hotels and Golf Courses for the benefits such memberships usually provide.
THE RULES FOR EVERYONE AND THE RULES FOR TRUMP
On the face of it Trump has to make a choice between being President and continuing with Trump Inc. So far he has defied all the conventions and all the rules. He is emboldened to continue. What he doesn’t understand is that there is a massive business going on around him, involving the media, the courts and the division of Government. His only way round this is a Constitutional Amendment which will never pass. He and the Republican Party will not be able to ignore this forever because the factions that have hounded him for the past eighteen months are smelling blood. As the days pass more and more conflicts will arise and be uncovered. Society will not get a respite as the Trump show rolls on. This besides the discord the Trump agenda evokes. The money issue just won’t go away and Jay H. Ell, who hasn’t been right yet, cannot see The Donald having one big sale of his assets before January 7, 2017. What happens thereafter will be filled with Trump suspense.
And to think he hasn’t been inaugurated yet……
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