Grading Trump On Ethics

MODERN AMERICAN PRESIDENTS retain a variety of advisors, with good reason. The complexities of the modern world make for a complex presidency. Washington had essentially no advisors, other than his four cabinet members. Among the advisors is a "chief ethics advisor", an attorney whose specialty is legal ethics, in itself a complicated field. President Bush employed Richard Painter, Obama retained Norm Eisner, both eminent. President Trump seems to believe that he, like Washington, doesn't require many advisors, on ethics, or anything else. It would be advantageous for the rest of us if he would seriously reconsider. Upon his inauguration, Eisner and Painter agreed that Trump's vast and assorted international business holdings presented an ethics problem of great proportions, a problem which, if not remedied by his divestment from all his concerns, would lead to trouble of great proportions, a veritable maze of conflicts of interest. Who can say how his business interests in other countries might influence his conduct of foreign policy? There is a long tradition of presidents liquidating their holdings upon assumption of office. One year into the Trump administration Eisner and Painter are back, having monitored the situation closely, and their assessment is not favorable. In the first place, they point out, there is a forty year precedent of a newly elected president selling off all business interests, and placing the money in a blind trust, a measure, they agree, that is especially important for Trump, considering the far flung nature of his investments. Trump, of course refuses to do this, and nobody can say how his decision making is influenced by having influential foreign dignitaries patronizing his hotels and resorts. Whether he has profited, nobody can say, because he refuses to release his tax filings, another breaking of precedent. According to our two experts, Trump has seriously violated the constitution in a number of ways, not only the emoluments clause. The first amendment and second amendment are equally at risk. At the Trump administration proceeds, it will be interesting to notice how legal ethics experts continue to grade him. To this point, the verdict is: impeachable.