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RG has sunk to Boutons level logic.
The Trump en y that runs the hotel is in violation of a conflict
of interest provision of its lease with the General Services Administration (GSA) that prohibits any elected official
from deriving benefits from it.40 Yet one week after the Trump administration released a budget that increased GSA’s
funding while cutting most other non-defense spending, GSA provided President Trump a valuable benefit, declaring
that the Trump company was in compliance with the lease in a letter that lacked any legal or rational basis.41
RG has sunk to Boutons level logic.
You think that un-ethical behavior is magically ethical because Trump is doing it?
That's right, CC, don't address anything topical. Just ignore the detail you asked for, and attack me.
That will prove how irrational I am being.
Did you think of that tactic all by yourself?
But hey, let's not just focus on his self-dealing when it comes to hotels.
Let's see how our president handles the other business interests. Remember him plugging his ty wine?
President Trump rarely misses as an opportunity to promote his businesses, making his presidency seem more like
a long-running advertisement than a public office. He visits Trump-branded golf clubs and properties he owns at
every turn, spending at least 116 days during his first year in office at one.51 He also regularly plugs his properties and
products in speeches and tweets. President Trump made sure to mention his nearby residential tower in a speech to
the United Nations, praised his New Jersey golf club in a speech to the South Korean national assembly, and plugged
his winery during a press conference on the violence in Charlottesville.5
"After one year, the predicted consequences of President Trump’s decision to hold on to his vast business interests have come to pass. The American public deserves better than a president who enriches himself through his office, and should not be left to wonder whose best interests are behind the government’s policies."
I'm totally out of control on this one. Wow, what a crazy statement to agree with.
I mean, we should all just be happy and quit worrying about whether the president is acting to line his pockets at our expense or not, right CC? That is crazy.
Let's take some bets on who gives the president's son in law a shiny new $1.2bn line of credit in another year.Mr. Kushner’s family business has created unique conflicts of interest because of its debt obligations. When Mr. Kushner
stepped away from management of his family business and its stake in 666 Fifth Avenue in New York, the Kushner
company reportedly was saddled with half a $1.2 billion mortgage for that property, which is due to be refinanced
in February 2019.69 With limited resources available domestically for the project, the family has sought substantial
investment from a variety of overseas investors over the past two years, including “South Korea’s sovereign-wealth
fund, France’s richest man, Israeli banks and insurance companies, and exploratory talks with a Saudi developer.”70
These attempts to obtain funding for the project apparently were unsuccessful, as were potential deals with China’s
Anbang Insurance Group and a Qatari sheikh, which ultimately “fell apart.”71
Further, although he failed at first to disclose it on his national security clearance form, Mr. Kushner in his capacity
as “head of his family’s real estate business” met during the transition with the head of the Kremlin-controlled VEB
bank.72 After those meetings became public, Mr. Kushner contended that the contacts with the Russian state-owned
bank were “made in his role as a Trump adviser” and “didn’t involve discussion of his family business,” according
to Bloomberg.73 With the family business in apparent dire need of funding, even Mr. Kushner’s resignation from
the family business would be unlikely to eliminate the significant conflict of interest and possible national security
concerns that arise from his official dealings with foreign governments that are potential sources of future funding
for the Kushner real estate business. Under these cir stances, Mr. Kushner should not be engaging in any U.S.
foreign policy matters dealing with these governments.
CosmicCowboy ?
I'm sure there won't be ANY ethical problems with that. That is Boutons level crazy.
At our expense?
In addition to the numerous omissions in his initial financial disclosure report, Mr. Kushner failed to report multiple
foreign government contacts on his national security questionnaire filed in January 2017, which raises separate national
security and conflict of interest concerns. These omissions include his meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey
Kislyak and the head of a U.S. sanctioned Russian state-owned bank during the transition period.81 Mr. Kushner’s
attorney called the omissions an error, and informed the FBI that he would be providing supplemental information.82
Ultimately, Mr. Kushner “supplemented the list of foreign contacts three times, adding more than 100 names,”83 and
detailing calls or meetings with representatives of more than 20 countries.84 The number of mistakes on
Mr. Kushner’s security form prompted the director of the National Background Investigations Bureau to say
in response to a question posed by a House member at a congressional hearing that he has “never seen that
level of mistakes.”85
mumble fribble jibbet?
Have I given you examples of unethical behavior and ethics problems or not?
But hey those ethics issues are just Trump and family.
Let's see what fun stuff scurries from under the rock that we kick over when we look at his cabinet.
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’ ethical challenges stem from his extensive business holdings, particularly those
involving shipping and natural gas exploration. Federal law and standards of conduct prohibit an executive branch
employee from personally participating in a particular government matter that will directly and predictably affect his
financial interest.86
As part of the confirmation process, Secretary Ross was permitted to retain his interest in several
shipping assets with the understanding that he would recuse on a case-by-case basis, and he was supposed to divest
from problematic natural gas exploration holdings.87 Secretary Ross’ duties, however, involve facilitating U.S. trade
and economic relationships with foreign countries, making it difficult for him fully to comply with those obligations.
In one case, Secretary Ross appears to have negotiated a plan to increase natural gas exports from the U.S. to China
both before he had divested from his natural gas exploration holdings and while he held investments in a shipping
company, Navigator Holdings Ltd., that operates liquefied gas carriers.88 As his holdings may have been directly
and predictably affected by that trade deal, participating in that matter may have violated the law. Secretary Ross’
Navigator investments and his prior service on the company’s board of directors raised additional concerns because
one of Navigator’s biggest customers had close ties to Russian oligarchs subject to U.S. sanctions and to the son-in-law
of Russian President Vladimir Putin.89 Those connections have prompted some members of the Senate to call for new
hearings and an inspector general investigation.90
I can provide a lot more detail than "I dislike the president". You should know better, or at least read the linked report in the OP to see for yourself what is in it.
If not, that is on you, but you can't ding me for not providing details or supporting my claims.
Poopyhead!
I see you have me in the crushing grip of reason. I bow to your superior display of reasoning, and usual well-supported argument.
EDUCATION SECRETARY BETSY DEVOS
Similar to Secretary Ross, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ conflict of interest issues arose from her extensive
holdings, in her case a brain performance center company called Neurocore. Although Secretary DeVos was required
to recuse from participating in particular matters that would have a direct and predictable effect on her financial
interests, she was permitted to retain her holdings in the company, in which she and her husband are the chief
investors.100
Secretary DeVos initially reported an investment in Neurocore of between $5 million and $25 million,
and has invested another $2 million to $10 million in the company since joining the administration.101
Neurocore claims to have remarkable success rates for its work with “10,000 children and adults to overcome
problems with attention deficit disorder (ADHD), autism, sleeplessness, and stress” as reported by the New York
Times.102
Experts consulted by Education Week, however, asserted that current scientific evidence does not support
the claims made by Neurocore.103 Neurocore also has come under investigation by the Better Business Bureau for
false advertising after multiple sources concluded there is little conclusive evidence that the treatment works in the
way Neurocore claims it does.104
In general, allowing the Secretary of Education to hold a significant financial interest in an education-related
program targeted at children may result in a conflict of interest.105
Devos is another poopyhead!
she is, though
worst cabinet appointee of this adminstration, required tiebreaking vote by pence tbh
Supposedly that's one of the offices with the least amount of power tho
RG has about 20 posts on page 2 of this thread alone
just like boutons, except for not being on my ignore list
This is pretty ignorant. IT's about having executive control, dim.
Someone complained about detail. I provided it.
The ty administration is so ty that it is hard to really encapsulate. I could go on for another 20 or 50, but stopped there.
Do you think I provided support for the OP? i.e. does what I posted paint a picture of a "vast array of ethics problems?"
Should cabinet officials be allowed to spend taxpayer money for travel in order to fundraise for a political party? Yes or no? You're either cool with this, or not.Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s government-funded travel to attend political fundraisers has also raised Hatch Act concerns. Last spring, he participated in a political fundraiser in the Virgin Islands, where he helped solicit donations for the Virgin Islands Republican Party. The fundraiser occurred while Secretary Zinke was on a three day, government-funded official trip to the Virgin Islands.130 The Virgin Islands Republican Party repaid the Interior Department $275 for expenses related to Secretary Zinke’s appearance at the fundraiser,131 which may be enough to avoid a Hatch Act violation. But Secretary Zinke continues to be under investigation by the Interior Department
Inspector General and the OSC, for the multiple times he has mixed official business with political activity.132
the Repugs don't even try to hide their corruption.
The know the are immune from accountability, and are fully supported by the corrupt, corrupting oligarchy who put them into govt.
And they aren't ONLY following the example of the rotting fishhead in the WH.
They are independently, autonomously corrupt, corruption they bring to "Repug govt" from their private lives.
Last edited by boutons_deux; 02-12-2018 at 02:45 PM.
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