Displaying all articles tagged:

Conflicts Of Interest

  1. politics
    Perdue Hit With More Allegations of Shady Stock TransactionsHe bought stock in a submarine company, helped it out in the Senate, then made a windfall. And the news comes as he fights for his political life.
  2. conflicts of interest
    Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Owns Stock She Vowed to Divest: ReportDespite owning gravel company stock she agreed to divest, the Department of Transportation said that Chao isn’t engaged in an ethical violation.
  3. conflicts of interest
    Trump’s Nominee for U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft Has Billion-Dollar Ties to CoalCraft once expressed climate denialism and her husband is a coal baron. She may soon represent the U.S. at the key venue for combating climate change.
  4. Qatar Refused to Invest in Kushner’s Firm. Then, He Backed a Blockade of Qatar.A new report suggests that Jared Kushner may have sabotaged America’s relationship with a core ally because it turned down his dad’s investment pitch.
  5. Official Leading Anti-Smoking Push Resigns After Buying Tobacco StockCDC head Brenda Fitzgerald bought stock in a cigarette company after starting a job in which she’s supposed to fight smoking.
  6. Trump Courts Appearance of Impropriety in Interviewing U.S. Attorney CandidatesHe personally interviewed U.S. attorney candidates in jurisdictions where cases against him or his businesses might arise.
  7. conflicts of interest
    Are Foreign Payments to Trump’s Businesses Unconstitutional? We’ll Find Out.A federal judge in Manhattan heard arguments on whether Trump’s business profits violate the obscure foreign emoluments clause.
  8. Kushner Sought $500 Million Bailout From Top Qatari Investor: ReportAfter that deal fell through, the president’s son-in-law pushed for the U.S. to support the Saudis’ blockade of Qatar.
  9. Treasury Secretary Sells Stake in Production Company That Made Entourage MovieFounded with an Australian billionaire and Brett Ratner, the company was also behind Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad.
  10. emoluments clause
    Is Trump Inc. the President’s Greatest Vulnerability?A group of enterprising lawyers thinks it might be, whether all roads lead to Russia or not.
  11. D.C. and Maryland to Sue Trump for Accepting Payments From Foreign GovernmentsTheir attorneys general will argue that the president has violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause.
  12. conflicts of interest
    Trump Can Accept Payments From Foreign Governments, Justice Department ArguesThe Trump administration is trying to quash a lawsuit that accuses the president of violating the U.S. Constitution.
  13. Pro-Trumpcare Republicans Owned $23 Million in Health-Care StockWhen the House GOP voted to repeal Obamacare, many were also voting to advance the interests of pharmaceutical companies they owned shares of.
  14. Trump Adviser Makes $60 Million by Advising Trump to Deregulate His CompanyTrump made Carl Icahn his “special regulatory adviser” — and let him advise the government to relax renewable fuel standards on his company.
  15. The Trump Administration Has Declared War on the Office of Government EthicsThe office asked the White House to disclose any ethics waivers it provided to ex-lobbyists. The White House said the office can’t make them do that.
  16. Donald Trump Jr. Discusses ‘New Ideas’ With Dubai Business PartnerThe Trump Organization promised not to make any new foreign deals while Donald Trump was president. Its friends in the UAE don’t seem to buy that.
  17. conflicts of interest
    Jared Kushner’s Family Business Is Pitching U.S. Visas to Investors in ChinaLooking to finance a Jersey City apartment building, Jared’s sister Nicole told investors the project “means a lot to me and my entire family.”
  18. Steven Mnuchin: I Wasn’t Endorsing Lego Batman When I Endorsed Lego BatmanAfter ethics complaints, the Treasury secretary is walking back his suggestion that people go see the movie he produced.
  19. Chinese Firm With Government Ties Pulls Out of Deal With Kushner FamilyThe ‘sweetheart’ deal is dead.
  20. Federal Agency Says President Trump’s D.C. Hotel in ‘Full Compliance’ With LeaseEthics experts will not be pleased with this decision.
  21. Chinese Firm With Government Ties Gives Kushner Family ‘Sweetheart Deal’Critics are worried that the company is trying to influence U.S. policy with the massive investment.
  22. Jason Chaffetz Keeps Focus on What Really Matters: Hillary Clinton’s EmailsThe House Oversight chair is seeking charges against the ex–State Department employee who helped set up Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
  23. early and often
    Trump Needs to Take Business Conflicts More Seriously, for His Own SakeIt’s not just the ethical thing to do. A better plan to address conflicts of interest will make his presidency stronger.
  24. Jared Kushner to Be Named Senior White House AdviserAnti-nepotism laws, be damned.
  25. Rex Tillerson Will Cut All Ties With Exxon If He Becomes Secretary of StateWith his confirmation fight looming, the Exxon CEO reveals a plan to sell off his Exxon shares before becoming Trump’s top diplomat.
  26. Trump Shouts Out Dubai Business Partner in New Year’s Eve SpeechThe billionaire developer said he looks forward to striking new deals with Trump.
  27. Trump’s Tech Meeting Disrupted the Norms of Liberal DemocracyTrump promised to cede control of his company to his sons, Eric and Don Jr. Then, he invited them to a policy meeting with Silicon Valley titans.
  28. Dems: GSA Says Trump Will Need to Fully Divest From His D.C. HotelBut the GSA says it has not yet settled on a position in the matter.
  29. Federal Ethics Agency Trolls Trump Over Business ConflictsThe Office of Government Ethics praised the president-elect for divesting from his business, which Trump isn’t doing.
  30. Trump Won the Presidency, Then Approval on a Tax Subsidy for His HotelAfter the election, the federal government approved the second phase of Trump’s application for a massive tax break on his D.C. hotel.
  31. Trump Says He Will ‘Leave His Business.’ That Probably Means Nothing.Trump says the move will eliminate all conflicts of interest. But if he’s still planning to transfer control of the company to his kids, he is lying.
  32. the national interest
    Trump’s Kleptocracy Is So Astounding It Already Feels Like Old NewsHis brazen use of the office for personal enrichment reveals how willing the new administration is to obliterate governing norms.
  33. The Constitution (Probably) Won’t Save Us If Trump Becomes a KleptocratProfiting off the presidency is prohibited by the “Emoluments Clause” of the Constitution — but it’s not much of a deterrent.
  34. conflicts of interest
    Trump Met With His Indian Business Partners Last Week, Raising Pay-to-Play FearsBut Trump’s new chief of staff says the American people have nothing to worry about.
  35. conflicts of interest
    Foreign Diplomats Are Apparently Lining Up to Do Business at Trump’s D.C. HotelThe conflict of interest between Trump’s presidency and his businesses is no longer hypothetical.
  36. The Trumps Are Already Monetizing the PresidencyIvanka leveraged her 60 Minutes appearance to hawk gold bracelets. But far more lucrative opportunities loom on the horizon.
  37. If Clinton Needs to Close Her Foundation, Trump Needs to Dissolve His CompanyTrump’s company has financial ties with a long list of our government’s allies and enemies. Those conflicts of interest can’t be escaped.
  38. My Fellow Americans, the State of Trump Steaks Is StrongTrump’s bizarre, product-placement-filled victory speech was a reminder of the myriad conflicts of interest he’d confront as president.
  39. conflicts of interest
    Orthodox-Controlled Schools Dodge State TakeoverBut the state isn’t thrilled with them.
  40. in other news
    New ‘Times’ HQ: Mo’ Subcontractors, Mo’ ProblemsThe new New York Times tower is shiny and pretty and environmentally friendly and all that. But, as it turns out, it’s also a hulking mass of conflicts of interest. For the last year or so, every time the paper so much as passingly mentions the Atlantic Yards project it feels compelled to make the ritual disclosure that, indeed, Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Ratner was also responsible for the new 52-story headquarters. And now that it’s turning out that at least some of the blame for the botched Deutsche Bank dismantling that led to two firefighters’ deaths belongs to a company called Safeway Environmental, a new standard disclaimer was introduced today: (Safeway Environmental was one of the subcontractors used in the development of a new headquarters for The New York Times, across Eighth Avenue from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.) What’s coming next? Did Roger Stone lobby for tax breaks on the new building? Did Joe Bruno fly down for the day to have a meeting about it? Do employees feel violated as neighbors peer through the glass walls at what’s going on inside? We so hope David Berkowitz used to deliver mail to whatever stood on the Eighth Avenue site back in the seventies. That’d be an awesome disclaimer. Obscure Company Is Behind 9/11 Demolition Work [NYT]