Conflict of interest: the Old Post Office

[Winehole23]

If elected president, Donald Trump's...biggest conflict might be the $200 million hotel project Trump's company is developing a couple of blocks from the White House in the Old Post Office Building, a historic property owned by the federal government and leased to the Trump Organization for 60 years. It seems likely, if not inevitable, that during a Trump presidency the federal government could find itself negotiating with the commander in chief—or his children—over matters relating to the new Trump International Hotel.http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-conflict-of-interest-old-post-office-hotel

[Winehole23]

Presidents are not subject to the same ethics rules that govern other executive branch employees, but they often take steps, such as setting up blind trusts or handing over control of their assets, to avoid even an appearance of impropriety. But Trump has not been entirely clear on how he would disentangle himself from his complex corporate holdings if he became president. At one point, he suggested he would place his assets in a blind trust "or something (http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/23/politics/donald-trump-scotland-golf-course-business-conflicts/)." But he also said this trust would be controlled by his children, who would continue to run his businesses. Blind trusts cannot be controlled by an individual's family members. Trump's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on how a conflict of interest with the Old Post Office, or any other property, would be handled.


"People have typically taken steps to silo these different aspects of their lives, because there should not be a doubt in the minds of the American public that the leader of the free world is not going to be putting certain interests over the public's," Tillipman says. "And when you haven't taken affirmative steps, it leaves an open question."

[Winehole23]

Trump recently sued DC over the tax assessment:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/trump-gearing-up-to-sue-dc-over-tax-bill-report-says/2016/06/30/95b178d2-3ebf-11e6-84e8-1580c7db5275_story.html

[Winehole23]

The suit, filed by the Trump Old Post Office LLC, is not the only legal battle over the project. Trump sued (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2015/10/07/jose-andres-hits-back-at-trump-over-restaurant-deal-counter-sues-for-8-million/) celebrity chef José Andrés last year after he backed out of a restaurant project that was supposed to be part of the hotel, following Trump’s controversial comments about Mexicans at the outset of his presidential campaign.


Andrés has countersued Trump.