Trump’s dangerous conflicts of interest

Pay particular attention to his ties to Middle East countries

This article was published on 12.13.18

The author, a Chico resident, is a Chico State alum and former small-business owner.

A growing concern by government oversight agencies, as well as people with common sense, is that Trump’s foreign business ties are influencing U.S. foreign policy decisions. The murder of American resident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is being glossed over by the president, who exhibits disdain for American intelligence agencies’ collective conclusion that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was directly involved in the murder. Trump is mum, other than to rant, “I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia.” Really?

In 1991, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bailed Trump out of financial trouble. He did so again in 1995—a time when Trump’s Atlantic City casinos were struggling—by purchasing the Trump-owned Plaza Hotel for $325 million. Fox News reports Trump sold the 45th floor of Trump Tower to the Saudis in 2001. In 2017, Saudi lobbyists spent $270,000 at Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel. Meanwhile, his Chicago hotel saw a 168 percent increase in Saudi business.

While there are many countries around the world with potential conflicts of interest between the Trump Organization and U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East is a template for study. The president’s infamous “travel ban” targeted mostly majority-Muslim countries, none of which have business ties to the Trump Organization. Interestingly, the Trump Organization has business ties in several majority-Muslim countries—including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and, soon, Egypt—and none has been banned.

As Richard W. Painter, ethics lawyer for George W. Bush, succinctly put it, “It is particularly worrisome for the president to have business with extensive involvement overseas, because we often have to make very difficult choices in dealing with situations overseas.”

On the home front, Trump was instrumental in squashing the FBI’s long-term plans to relocate its headquarters, insisting the agency rebuild on the existing site. The cost will be substantially more, but it eliminates the threat of competition building a hotel there.

It is indeed dark days when the well-being of America can be compromised by Trump’s greed.