Ryan Won’t State Obvious that Trump’s Plan is “Meaningless” – Major Conflicts of Interests Still Exist
When asked today about President-Elect Donald Trump’s just-revealed business arrangement for the Trump Organization, and whether it still constitutes a conflict of interest, Speaker Ryan panicked and passed the buck to Rep. Jason Chaffetz and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he chairs.
This isn’t even a close call. Yesterday, in his first press conference since the summer, Donald Trump made clear that he won’t sell his business or utilize a blind trust, and his companies will still conduct domestic business and deal-making. The head of the nonpartisan Office of Government Ethics called Trump’s proposal for addressing conflicts of interest “meaningless.”
And still, Speaker Ryan’s loyalties lie with Donald Trump, not the American people or the promises that the Republicans made to clean up Washington, drain the swamp, and get special interests out of our government.
“Speaker Ryan is smart enough to know that Donald Trump’s proposed business arrangement is utterly toothless and that the President-Elect will still face massive conflicts of interest when he gets to the Oval Office. Ryan’s unwillingness to articulate any concerns about this business arrangement, opting instead to throw his colleague under the bus, is a telling indication of his fear and deference to Donald Trump,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.