Continuing in his totally consistent and predictable pattern of wacky authoritarian behavior, President-elect Donald Trump said today he'll postpone telling America how he plans to deal with a wide array of conflicts of interest until after he is sworn in as President in January, 2017. That's one month away.
This is the same Trump the CIA says was elected by Vladimir Putin, also the same Trump who broke ranks with all previous U.S. presidents in refusing to disclose his taxes or other detailed financial information to the public. I'm sure there are no unseemly business deals with Russia or China in those taxes, and no horrifying proof that he'll be the most horribly conflicted despot to ever pull off a foreign-backed coup in America.
From Bloomberg:
Trump had planned to make the announcement Dec. 15 but wants more time because he's been occupied with filling out his cabinet and top administration posts, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. He's preparing to reveal his choice for secretary of state as soon as Tuesday, they said.
The president-elect has consulted various legal specialists as well as Don McGahn, his pick for White House counsel, about how to deal with his organization, the officials said. A new date for the announcement hasn't been set, but it will be before his inauguration on Jan. 20, they said.
Trump has about $3.6 billion of assets and $630 million of debt held in more than 500 companies, according to a July analysis by Bloomberg. His golf developments, tenant rosters, loans and licensing arrangements tie him to businesses and governments in 20 countries. Those ties risk hobbling his presidency with questions about motives for his policy and may raise constitutional issues.
