I think SNL should find a female "Trump" impersonator and run a skit in which she-Trump and Alec-Trump argue about who is the Trumpiest and who is FAKE!
Could be hilarious and with any luck our so-called president's head would explode.
If Sen. Mitch McConnell can invoke the rarely used “Rule 19”, Rep. Pascrell and Congress are well within their rights to evoke this 1924 tax code and do what the law requires to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. Pascrell said he’s not going to take “no” for answer:
Pascrell said foreign governments are paying rents, licensing fees, and issuing permits for Trump Organization projects, all of which could be used to influence the president.The letter asked Brady to reply by Wednesday.
“If I get a ‘no’ answer on this, I’ll be very honest with you: If these guys think I’m walking away from this, they’re absolutely nuts," Pascrell said. "The calls we’re getting, the calls other congressmen are getting, it’s unbelievable, we never expected this.”
The Honorable Kevin Brady Chairman House Committee on Ways and Means 1102 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Brady:
The Founding Fathers were determined to prevent corruption among public officeholders under our Constitution. The emoluments clause prohibits federal officeholders from accepting foreign gifts or emoluments without congressional consent. Their intention was to forbid relationships that might lead to corruption. Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe and lawyer Joshua Matz have written that the meaning of “emoluments” as the framers intended included profits received in a business relationship.[1]
President Trump has chosen to keep an ownership stake in his businesses, the scope of which we have no knowledge of as he has refused to disclose his tax returns. We believe that it is imperative for the public to know and understand his 564 financial positions in domestic and foreign companies,[2] and his self-reported net worth of more than $10 billion.[3] We know that state-owned enterprises in China[4] and the United Arab Emirates[5] are involved in his businesses, and that his business ties stretch to India, Turkey, the Philippines, and beyond. Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan may also have ties to his businesses.[6] These foreign entities are paying rents, licensing agreement payments,[7] and issuing permits[8] for developments -- effectively giving them a tool to influence our new President.
None of these potential conflicts can be verified until and unless we have disclosure from President Trump. Every major Presidential candidate since Richard Nixon, with the exception of President Gerald Ford who released a summary of tax data, has released his or her tax returns for public review – until now.[9]
If the President does not either release his returns or consent to examination of such returns by this Committee, I urge you, as Chairman of the Committee and pursuant to Section 6103(f)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, to submit a written request to the Secretary of the Treasury for copies of the President’s federal tax returns by February 15, 2017. These returns and all accompanying return information should then be made available for examination by all Committee Members in a closed executive session. I further request that the Committee then vote in this closed session to submit the President’s federal tax returns to the House of Representatives—thereby, if successful, making them available to the public. This Committee followed a similar procedure to release confidential taxpayer information in the past during its exhaustive investigation of the treatment of certain tax-exempt organizations.[10]
The Presidential campaign is over and the fear that a political opponent will try to use tax returns for electoral benefit is passed. President Trump is now governing while also owning a business with international investments. The Constitution faces unprecedented threats due to this arrangement. I believe the powerful Ways and Means Committee has the responsibility to use that power to ensure proper oversight of the executive branch by requesting a review of President Trump’s tax returns and moving towards a formal release of these documents to the public.
- President Donald Trump promised in January that his company would commit to no new foreign deals while he's in office. That promise, however, excludes the dozens of deals the Trump organization already had in the works—a pipeline that makes the promise functionally empty. One of the first of these ongoing deals came out of the pipeline over the weekend, with the lavish Dubai opening of the Trump organization's first golf course in the Middle East. Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr. attended as the "guests of honor," as they were dubbed in a Trump Organization promotional tweet. -
I am not going to complain about having to foot the bill for the security for these two privileged jamokes. I think they should arrange for their own—perhaps through the new Secretary of Education's ne'er-do-well brother—but I accept that none of these guys does anything self-sacrificing, and if we didn't want to pay to guard the spalpeens, we shouldn't have elected the old guy. But the essential grasping vulgarity of the whole clan occasionally is staggering. From The Chicago Tribune .. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-dubai-golf-club-20170218-story.html :
- The course's opening comes after Donald Trump tried for years to enter the Arab market as a real estate mogul who later earned millions licensing his name to projects. The course's opening now, as well as long-standing plans to open a second Trump-branded course in Dubai, could raise security and ethical issues for America's 45th president going forward.
A pro shop inside the clubhouse sold Trump International Golf Club baseball caps for 150 dirhams ($40) and Trump-branded golf balls for ($5.50). Absent were the red "Make America Great Again" caps made famous by Trump's campaign. Both sons gave brief remarks at the opening, neither touching on their father's new job. Donald Jr. instead applauded Dubai's hereditary ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum .. https://tinyurl.com/hap79tm. "It's truly awe inspiring," he said. "In Dubai, if you can envision it, you can build it." -
- The Dubai golf course marks Trump's first successful venture in the Arab world. But it has raised questions about how the Trump Organization's many international business interests will affect Trump's administration. Meanwhile, trips abroad by Trump's two sons are expected to continue. Before Trump's inauguration, his son Eric visited the Trump Tower Punta del Este in Uruguay to check on the tower's progress and personally greet buyers. A Trump hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, is also expected to soon host Trump's sons. -
Welcome to the new world order. Leave your keys with the valet.
Donald Trump's sons' secret service protection on business trips could cost millions for US taxpayers
Eric and Donald Jr Trump are in Dubai to open a new golf course
Chloe Farand 3 days ago
Banke International director Niraj Masand, far left, poses for a photo with Eric Trump, second left, Banke International director Porush Jhunjhunwala, center, Donald Trump Jr., second right, and DAMAC Properties chairman Hussain Sajwani, during festivities marking the formal opening of the Trump International Golf Club, in Dubai, AP Photo