Trump Shows No Signs Of Attempting To Avoid Conflicts Of Interest

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump said during a debate that he would, if elected, turn over his far-ranging business interests in a "blind trust" to be run by his children to avoid any sense of impropriety or profiteering via the presidency.

“If I become president, I couldn’t care less about my company. It’s peanuts. I wouldn’t ever be involved because I wouldn’t care about anything but our country, anything.”

Thirteen days after being president-elect, Trump shows no signs of doing just that.

By the way, I should point out that handing your children your business with whom you communicate with on a daily basis does not constitute a "blind trust." Can you really imagine his children won't discuss ANY business in private with their father?

In any case, Trump has grown testy over news coverage of several eyebrow raising incidents that have occurred over the past two weeks including:

• His first meeting with a foreign head of state, the Prime Minister of Japan, included his daughter Ivanka Trump and son in law Jared Kushner, neither of whom have security clearances. And both are involved in his business dealings.

• His Washington D.C. hotel held an event last week pitching accommodations to foreign diplomats as a way to ingratiate themselves to the incoming administration

• During a congratulatory phone call with Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, Trump asked the president to clear some obstacles that have delayed Trump building an office building in Buenos

• Trump has asked UK politician Nigel Farage to help oppose a wind farm off the coast of Scotland near his golf resort because it would "spoil the views."

After several news reports on the endless possible conflicts of interest, a defiant Trump took to Twitter to tell his constituents that this issue was basically priced into their vote.

Prior to the election it was well known that I have interests in properties all over the world.Only the crooked media makes this a big deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016