This week, the U.S. Department of Commerce is working with Chinese telecommunication company ZTE on a billion-dollar deal, emails show Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt inquired about a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife, and Jared Kushner’s father, Charles, says his meeting with Qatari finance minister was “wrong.”
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: New trademarks in China and a call for investigation, plus a Kushner company seeks investment from a Saudi-backed fund
This week, President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, received new trademarks from China for her collection of businesses, Democratic lawmakers are asking for an ethics investigation into the president’s ties to China and Jared Kushner’s tech company is asking for money from a Saudi-backed fund.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: “Lobbying” gets more literal, a Qatari-backed bailout for Kushner, and what you might have missed in the president’s financial disclosure
This week, a breakdown of who is spending money at President Donald Trump’s Washington D.C. hotel, a possible bailout for Kushner Companies from a Canadian firm with ties to Qatar, and more details from President Trump’s most recent financial disclosure reveal how his businesses are doing.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: Trump’s financial disclosures and odd support for ZTE — followed by a Chinese-backed theme park
This week, President Donald Trump files his financial disclosures, a Trump Organization construction partner struck a deal with a Chinese state-owned construction company to build a theme park next to planned Trump properties—just as the president publicly shared his mission to help bring jobs back to China, and a watchdog group filed an ethics complaint against President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: Payments to Cohen, Qatar buys an apartment in Trump Tower, and more political spending at Mar-a-Lago
This week, new information surfaces about payments made to President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, Qatar purchases a $6.5 million apartment in New York’s Trump Tower, and a look at how much money is being spent by political insiders at President Trump’s private club in South Florida.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: Vietnam, encouraging lobbying, and what happens if Mueller or Rosenstein are fired
This week, a look at how a call to Vietnam from President-elect Donald Trump originated, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tells the banking industry to lobby lawmakers and thousands are preparing to protest if President Trump fires special counsel Robert Mueller or Rod Rosenstein.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: A shady Kushner loan, a check for Treasury, and an emolumental Philippines party at Trump’s DC
This week, new details emerged showing Jared Kushner’s business ties to Citigroup and Apollo Management are “more extensive than initially reported,” the U.S. government released a copy of a check the Trump Organization sent to the U.S. Treasury Department, and the government of the Philippines is planning to host a party President Donald Trump’s Washington D.C. hotel.
Continue readingCongress should ensure the investigation of the Special Counsel is protected
Today, the Sunlight Foundation endorsed the Special Counsel Transparency Act to preserve evidence and recommendations that result from Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller’s investigation, should President Donald J. Trump fire him.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: Panamanian problems, What isn’t staying in Vegas, a Ukrainian connection, and Bolton’s SuperPAC
This week, lawyers for the Trump Organization asked the Panamanian president to intervene and help the company as they battle over the former Trump-branded hotel in the country, Trump’s Las Vegas Hotel has limits on hiring family, and questions surround the new national security adviser’s political donation organizations.
Continue readingThis Week in Conflicts: Ethics violations, a culture of cabinet corruption, and an opaque legal defense fund
This week, top U.S. government officials are still in public service despite ethics problems, a public interest watchdog filed new complaints about former lobbyists now working in agencies, and a controversial legal defense fund faces continued questions.
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