New Documents Show President Still Closely Tied To Businesses
Despite placing his business holdings in a trust, President Donald Trump remains closely tied to his real estate empire, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.Â
The New York Times reported on the documents Friday, prompting an outburst from Trump on Saturday morning. Â
“After being forced to apologize for its bad and inaccurate coverage of me after winning the election, the FAKE NEWS @nytimes is still lost!” Trump wrote on Twitter.Â
The NYT report reveals that the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, announced days before the inauguration, is being overseen by two close associates of the president, his son Donald Jr. and Allen H. Weisselberg, his company’s chief financial officer. But Trump can revoke their authority at any time, and the official purpose of the trust is to hold assets “to the exclusive benefit of the president.”Â
One expert in government ethics told the NYT the arrangement doesn’t appear to avoid conflicts of interest “in the slightest bit.” And Democratic Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, who’s called for an investigation, referred to Trump’s trust as “smoke and mirrors.”Â
The Trump Organization declined to comment for the NYT article, which you can read here.
A few reactions from Twitter below.