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It just keeps piling up …
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www.nbcnews.com — Oct 9, 2019
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Trump has appeared to side with Erdogan at times throughout his presidency. For example, when Republican senators sought to punish Turkey this summer for its purchase of a Russian missile defense system by pushing the president to impose congressionally mandated sanctions, Trump invited them to a White House meeting to ask for "flexibility" in dealing with the issue. Those sanctions have not been implemented.
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“It’s absolutely staggering” that Trump made a decision that “has put us on the brink of causing genocide in Syria,” said Wendy Sherman, an undersecretary at the State Department during the Obama administration. The decision underscores the “impulsiveness” and “the transactional, quid pro quo-ness of the president,” she said.
That “transactional” charge is based on the Trump family’s multitude of continuing business entities and interests, all separated from the president — at least on paper — by the trust that now controls them. But the president is the beneficiary of that trust and two of his children have roles in it.
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Trump and his family have long had business ties in and with Turkey, the most visible example being the Trump Towers Istanbul, which licenses the Trump name. The Trump Organization describes the buildings on its website as “a landmark in the historic city of Istanbul” and it is the organization’s first and only office and residential tower in Europe, with offices, apartments and upscale shops. The Washington Post has reported that the organization was paid up to $10 million to put the Trump name on the two buildings.
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Trump even once admitted this "conflict of interest" he has in Turkey ...
In December 2015, Trump stated in a radio interview that he had a "conflict of interest" in dealing with Turkey because of his property, saying "I have a little conflict of interest, because I have a major, major building in Istanbul ... It’s called Trump Towers. Two towers, instead of one. Not the usual one, it’s two. And I’ve gotten to know Turkey very well."[6]
en.wikipedia.org
So did another public interest group notice this CONFLICT of INTEREST, as early as June 2017 ...
by John Norris and Carolyn Kenney, Center for American Progress — Posted on June 14, 2017
In 2008, the Trump Organization inked into a multimillion-dollar branding deal with the Doğan Group, run by one of the most politically influential families in Turkey, to build a two-tower apartment, office, and shopping complex in Istanbul. The opening ceremonies for the complex in 2012 were presided over by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The very next year, in 2013, the Trump Organization entered into a partnership with luxury furniture company Dorya International to produce pieces to be sold under the Trump Home brand and distributed initially in Turkey. Dorya claims on its website to have furnished the offices of Turkey’s president, prime minister, armed forces, and embassies around the world.
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Follow the paper trail
According to Trump’s July 2015 financial disclosure—which was not verified by regulators and therefore may not include all of his foreign deals or assets—Trump was paid as much as $5 million in royalties from the Istanbul tower complex for the previous year and owned, had ownership interest in, or was a managing member of several companies related to this project, including the following:
- Trump Marks Istanbul II Corp., director, chairman, president
- Trump Marks Istanbul II LLC, president, member, received between $1 million and $5 million in royalties
According to Trump’s May 2016 financial disclosure— {these identical income streams from Trump’s Investments in Turkey, were reported again ...}
According to both disclosure forms, Trump was paid as much as $10 million in royalties from his Istanbul project for the previous two years, and he—and his children—will presumably continue to receive money from this arrangement.
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No wonder the King of Corruption will never willingly release his Tax Returns — because IF he did — then ALL of Trump’s “Conflicts of Interests” would become plainly visible, for everyone to see.
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Even Trump’s secret benefactors and international political favor-wranglers …
by Mark Lippman, on Daily Kos — Oct 10, 2019
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Even visible to those American Citizens would think we should return to the days when the intent and legal constraints of the American Constitution — were actually respected, followed, and enforced ...
The emoluments clause, also called the foreign emoluments clause, is a provision of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 8) that generally prohibits federal officeholders from receiving any gift, payment, or other thing of value from a foreign state or its rulers, officers, or representatives. The clause provides that:No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
The Constitution also contains a “domestic emoluments clause” (Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 7), which prohibits the president from receiving any “Emolument” from the federal government or the states beyond “a Compensation” for his “Services” as chief executive.
www.britannica.com
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And NOT routinely abandoned and ignored, like some quaint rule-book for law-abiding suckers.
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