Trump Children Conflict of Interest - Top Secret Govt Clearances While Running Global Family Biz.

Donald Trump's adult Children will Run the sprawling, global Trump business empire. President-elect Trump has requested that they also be granted Top Secret government security clearances. Congressional agitator ELIJAH CUMMINGS has his boxer shorts in a knot over this.


""Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, made that statement in a letter to the committee’s Republican leader, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah). Trump has numerous financial interests that could be boosted by government, he added. 

“We have never had a president like Mr. Trump in terms of his vast financial entanglements and his widespread business interests around the globe,” Cummings wrote in a request for scrutiny of Trump and his top advisers to ensure they follow all the laws barring official self-dealing.

He also noted that Trump has never produced the tax returns that would help the public understand his sources of income.
“Mr. Trump’s unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president,” Cummings said.

Trump is expected to rely on his children to run his businesses, and Cummings pointed out that they are part of the government that is being formed because they’re members of Trump’s transition team. This is certainly not a “blind trust,” Cummings said.""

Full Story: www.huffingtonpost.com...


I just realized that Elijah Cummings didn't know about the Top Secret Security Request for Donald Trump's children when this article was written. Oh my...he might have a stroke! (fingers crossed)

Personally, I believe that each of Donald's children should decide if they want to run the Family's business...or help their Dad run the nation. NOT BOTH. To my ATS colleagues who have an opinion, what do you think?

-CareWeMust

I'm not comfortable with it. But I'm also not a big fan of hiring your family for positions of power within the government either.

For now, I'll wait and see how this evolves and what protections would be put in place to prevent possible abuses.

Maybe if he emails them about jihadi attacks and then lies to the american people about it, they will be covered?

Let's see what's going on first.

TS doesn't mean they have to know everything, anyway, right?

I'd imagine most family members of all presidents are security checked for a TS clearance which aint that much as they'll possibly be working on classified stuff and you walk in to want a word with dad and theres all sorts of paperwork on the desk visible.

The blind trust issue was always going to be a problem with Trump,even if his children run the business and have no say in how the country is run there are serious conflicts of interest between Trumps policies in office and the finiacial side to his company gaining

I get the feeling he won't last a full term unless being POTUS has changed his outlook entirely and he isn't just concentrating on the family name and taking money in

Who knows,perhaps he really wants to make changes for the better

Only time will tell

I think the Top Secret clearance would allow them to sit in on the morning global security briefing, if they wanted to. But, since none of us know the content of those briefings, there's no way of knowing if they could use any of that info to further their business interests here and abroad.

As a person who has held a security clearance, I'm not even sure where this falls. I will tell you this much, getting a security clearance requires the person being cleared to undergo extensive background checks. That means ALL financial dealings must be inspected, all travel for the last decade or so, and tons of other stuff. That's just for secret and top secret clearances. Anything above that, like special access programs, require you to actually be in a position where such access is required, there is no other way.

The idea that releasing tax returns will somehow foil this doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The agencies involved in the investigations required for clearances will turn up all of it.

All that said, once clearances have been granted, there is nothing to stop them from using that information save for jail time, unlike Hillary, I think Trump's kids and even Trump himself could wind up in jail if any classified information is used.

If they want to be part of government, I think they need to put their business dealings on hold. If they want to be businessmen, then they need to put that hat on instead. I personally do not believe his kids will be granted security clearances just due to the optics of impropriety, and the possibility that any such information received could be used for business purposes, if they are still intending to do business while working in government, that is.

a reply to: projectvxn

I concur with your point of view 100%.

But "Good Friends" can jump back and forth between both government -and- positions in business?

This has been happening for a long time.

His kids dont get top secret clearance.

a reply to: carewemust



The answer id say depends on if he gives them cabinet positions. I know his son and law is interested in politics. If he gives them a position in his government this wouldn't be the first time John Kennedy appointed his brother Robert. might be more that's just from memory.

originally posted by: Maxatoria
I'd imagine most family members of all presidents are security checked for a TS clearance which aint that much as they'll possibly be working on classified stuff and you walk in to want a word with dad and theres all sorts of paperwork on the desk visible.

Precisely. This is like all the rest of the liberal BS overblown fud again. Clutching at straws is what they seem to do best as it is all they ever had so far.

a reply to: carewemust

Well,

At least he intends on getting them clearances instead of just sending his kids Top Secret info unlike some other former Presidential candidates.

Oh goody another dynasty.

originally posted by: muSSang
His kids dont get top secret clearance.

They don't need top secret clearance to use government intelligence to get a drop on their competitors. Just knowing who the next ambassador to Cuba is going to be could be a major, ahem, coup for a hotelier.

It would be highly improper to give his adult-business oriented children top security clearances. It won't happen unless they are give top level government positions. This is simply another dig at Trump because he is a globally invested businessman with a family of highly successful and influential family.

originally posted by: Justso
It would be highly improper to give his adult-business oriented children top security clearances. It won't happen unless they are give top level government positions. This is simply another dig at Trump because he is a globally invested businessman with a family of highly successful and influential family.

And people would be losing their # if the Clintons were looking into getting Chelsea a Top Security clearance.

Considering that globally connected families running the world was a top concern of many antiTrump voters, I'd call it a fair criticism.

Too bad we didn't have all this civilian oversight while any of the last 5 Presidents were in office.

[off the wall idea]

Maybe Trump is calling the hands of Democrats.

They didn't seem to have a problem with Hillary emailing classified material to Chelsea.

But they will with Trumps family.

He's exposing the hypocrisies.

[/off the wall idea]

I don't see why they need top secret clearances. Having said that, a Top Secret Clearance doesn't get you anything by itself. All it does by itself is certify that you have been investigated and nothing has turned up that would deny you such a clearance. It does not grant you ACCESS to anything "Top Secret" or even just "Secret." You must ALSO have a "need to know." Further, "Top Secret" really isn't that big a deal. "SCI" or "Code Word" clearances are where the juicy bits are.

Just to put this in perspective, every 18 year-old enlistee to the Armed Forces who works in the intelligence field AT ALL has a "Top Secret" clearance. An E-4 who works as a secretary to the Assistant Director of the motor pool at Fort Gordon, South Carolina (an NSA facility) has a Top Secret Clearance. About all a Top Secret Clearance would do for the Trump kids is grant them an "EZ-Pass" to the White House to visit their Dad.

Much Ado about Nothing except to the "Ill-Informed Who Easily Have Cows."