Why officials patronizing Trump's businesses is corrupt, explained for Kevin McCarthy

[babylonsister]

https://www.vox.com/2019/9/11/20861139/kevin-mccarthy-trump-business-corrupt

Why officials patronizing Trump’s businesses is corrupt, explained for Kevin McCarthy
The House minority leader thinks lining Trump’s pockets is no big deal. He’s wrong.
By Aaron Rupar@atrupar Sep 11, 2019, 4:20pm EDT


House minority leader Kevin McCarthy doesn’t think elected officials spending money at businesses that President Donald Trump owns and profits from is a big deal. He’s wrong.

On the heels of a string of stories about Trump administration and military officials patronizing the president’s properties — like Attorney General William Barr spending $30,000 on a party at the Trump International Hotel, Vice President Mike Pence going far out of his way to spend a night at Trump’s resort in Doonbeg during a diplomatic trip to Ireland, and the Air Force increasingly using a Trump resort in Scotland for overnight stays — McCarthy was asked during his news conference on Tuesday if he has concerns. He indicated he does not.

“The president’s resorts are hotels that he owns, that people are traveling. It’s just like any other hotel,” the California Republican said. “I don’t know that that’s different than anything else. Is it different than if I go and stay or eat at a Marriott here or eat at the Trump?”

Link to tweet

But government and military officials directly lining Trump’s pockets by spending money at his hotels, resorts, and restaurants is not in fact equivalent to patronizing the Marriott. On the contrary, it is the textbook definition of one form of corruption.

Becoming president is not supposed to be a money-making venture

Trump broke decades of precedent by refusing to divest from the businesses he still owns and profits from while president. There’s good reason divestment was the norm: Presidents are supposed to make policy decisions based on the public good, not what’s best for their personal bottom line.

Because Trump never divested, he still profits from every dollar that is spent booking a hotel room, event space, or buying a Trump-branded product. That opens him up to the risk of another form of corruption: If you want the president to do political favors for you, lining his pockets by patronizing his businesses is a good way to go about it. On the other hand, spending money at the Marriott when the Trump International Hotel is an option could be perceived as a slight.


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https://www.vox.com/2019/9/11/20861139/kevin-mccarthy-trump-business-corrupt

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1. yeah, i can hear him saying the exact same thing if a democrat were president

c'mon, it's beyond ridiculous to let these insanely partisan republicans spout their completely biased nonsense without confronting them with how they would react if a democrat were in office doing the exact same thing.

does anyone think for one damn minute that if president hillary (sigh...) owned some property and directed white house visitors to rent out the place and she pocketed the money personally and on top of that refused to release her taxes that republicans would be defending her and shrugging it off as a nothing-burger????

the media should ask them this kind of question every time, and the media should point out this obvious bias and hypocrisy every time.