The Trump Administration has been dogged by accusations that President Trump, as well as his family members and close associates, are seeking to use the presidency to advance their personal financial interests. We’ve had numerous posts on this blog about these issues (see, for example, here, here, here, here, and here), including a recent overview of the relevant federal laws and regulations that might apply to some of the alleged problematic conduct.
Because it can be hard to keep track of the various allegations related to corruption and conflict of interest in the Trump Administration–and because accusations of “corruption” are sometimes framed quite broadly–we’re going to try to keep track of credible allegations that relate specifically to President Trump, his family, and his close associates exploiting the office of the presidency for personal financial gain. Just as President Trump’s son Eric will be providing President Trump with “quarterly” updates on the Trump Organization’s business affairs, we will do our best to provide readers with regularly updates on credible allegations of presidential profiteering. (We are not the only ones keeping track of these issues. For other useful resources and compilations, see here, here, and here.)
We will organize the issues into the following four categories, which capture four related but distinct ways that political leaders leverage the power of public office to enrich themselves, their families, and their cronies:
- U.S. Government Payments to the Trump Organization
- Use of the Power of the Presidency to Promote Trump Brands
- U.S. Government Regulatory and Policy Decisions that Benefit Business Interests of the Trump Family and Senior Advisors
- Private and Foreign Interests Seeking to Influence the Trump Administration Through Dealings with Trump Businesses
You can find our first report here.
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