Setting a standard
During the presidential campaign, Americans called on Donald Trump to release his tax returns – and he refused. Now he’s the President-elect, and we still know very little about his business holdings and how they might conflict with policies he’s promoting.
I certainly hope he meant it when he tweeted last week, “legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations.”
Meanwhile, he said he has turned his business over to his children but he also put them on his transition team. How separate will he be from his business, and how will the public know when there is a potential conflict of interest?
We need to trust that the President-elect's decisions are made based on the best interest of Americans. That’s why I’m working to pass the Presidential Accountability Act.
Current law prohibits federal office holders - like members of Congress - from engaging in government business where they could personally benefit, but the President and Vice President are exempt. This bill would simply hold them to the same standard as every other federal elected official. It would also guarantee that Trump would have to put his assets in a certified blind trust or let the public know every time he makes a decision as President that affects his personal finances.
It’s time to set a standard for our incoming president and to hold him accountable. It’s time to pass the Presidential Accountability Act and require that he put the best interests of our country ahead of his own.
