The Boston Globe has revealed that Ivanka Trump was granted highly lucrative personal business favors from Chinese government officials on the same day she dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago. We’re sure the two have nothing to do with one another…
Mere hours before she met with Xi, Ivanka’s clothing and accessories business won three new trademarks in China, granting her a monopoly over Ivanka-branded bags, jewelry and spa services. Why anyone would want to exchange actual money for an “Ivanka-branded spa service” is entirely beyond our scope, but that’s hardly the import part of this.
Related: Ivanka Trump wanted to interview this queer chef — and her rejection letter is utterly brutal
What should register a bit of worry is that in countries like China where government permits are handed out like highly coveted gift baskets, the already-blurred lines between private enterprise and U.S./foreign relations are now beginning to look like someone spilled a glass of lemonade all over your felt-tip diagram of how the world should work. And we know how hard you worked on that.
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We never thought we’d say this, but let’s defer to George W. Bush’s chief White House ethics lawyer, Richard Painter, on this one: “Put the business on hold and stop trying to get trademarks while you’re in government.”
The news opens up yet another ethical can of worms for the Trumps. Can Ivanka, as a White House assistant and advisor to the president, be allowed into conversations relating to China policy that might affect her personal interests in the country?
Related: The shroud of mystery surrounding Ivanka Trump’s new job has grown even weirder
We sure know our answer: No!
Norman Eisen, another former ethics lawyer who served under Barack Obama, put it another way: “Ivanka has so many China ties and conflicts, yet she and Jared appear deeply involved in China contacts and policy. I would never have allowed it. For their own sake, and the country’s, Ivanka and Jared should consider stepping away from China matters.”
dwes09
Let’s see what sort of amusing deflections and lies the usual log cabin/regressive troll suspects come up with.
The conflicts of interest in the trump regime are obvious and need to be addressed.
dwes09
They are broader in nature than the conflicts of interest that characterized the Bush/Chaney rule, but possibly worse. One wonders why the right is so into letting the rich benefit from poor choices in governance, especially (considering Bush/Chaney in particular) when it lead to the increased death of soldiers and civilians in foreign wars and grossly inflated defense spending .
1EqualityUSA
Impeachment. Imagine the books they are all going to write. No wonder they keep Kelly Ann Consigliere tucked in the basement and on the payroll. They don’t want her spilling the bleach-blond beans. Bannon will destroy Resident Orange. From black rot to blue mold, Orange will be so harmed. History will not be kind to this man.
natekerchel
Fast becoming a kleptocracy – no surprise at all.
Jack Meoff
How is this being allowed to happen? What has happened to American politics it’s a bloody joke.
1EqualityUSA
We are weird, but we’ll work it out. We are a nation of problem solvers.
natekerchel
The Beast is far from being the first corrupt occupant of the White House – my fingers wont allow me to type any title for him other ‘occupant’. He is though, the most blatant. I can already hear the cries of apologists demanding evidence of corruption – so to save them the trouble I will say that corruption in a public office is behaving in an unethical or dishonest way usually, though not exclusively, for personal gain or to allow others to gain.
The article suggests this has happened. Then of course the notorious ‘plugging’ of Ms Kushner’s business using the prestige of the White House. The constant publicity given to trump’s club – again using the prestige of the Oval Office. These are things we know of – what more is yet to come to light?
DCguy
This is the B.S. that our Congress has allowed the rich, powerful, and elected officials.
Why isn’t Trump being forced to Divest? Or forced to release his taxes?
Easy, because elected officials never want to pass laws against themselves, they have these B.S. “Gentlement’s Agreements” but not laws, that way elected officials can do what they want to, as little as possible, and not be forced to.
The law should state that somebody can’t take office UNTIL they divest and release their taxes. Ivanka shouldn’t be allowed to work in the White House when she is obviously pushing policies that give her monetary gain.
The fact that Trump supporters and Trump trolls have no problem with this, shows that Trump supporters don’t actually support any real policies, they simply vote for anything their side does, and instead of thinking about how it harms them, they deflect by forcing laughter about how “The Left” will hate whatever it is.
1EqualityUSA
I will always view Judge Gorsuch as illegitimate. If he had any honor, he would step down. He was placed by a president who is under investigation. Judge Merrick Garland will never be forgotten. Every decision this Justice Gorsuch makes will be held up to additional scrutiny. If he had any honor, he would know this. An amendment should render the sixty count untouchable. This was harmful.
sesfm
I can only laugh and roll my eyes at all of the establishment gays who fanatically support some politicians who use government to make money and then freak out about others who do it. You’re kidding yourself if you think Democrats don’t use government as a money-generating machine, at yet half of you would physically assault someone for not supporting your favorite corporate-owned, money-focused establishment politician.