Donald Trump is violating standards by promoting his various businesses on the presidential campaign trail, writes one political expert.
In a
Politico Magazine piece, Norman Ornstein states his case that Trump is not following the usual protocol when it comes to presidential candidates.
Ornstein lists several examples of Trump's questionable actions, from a March press conference in which he was flanked by tables of Trump products (steaks, wine, and water) to his announcement this week
that he'll travel to Scotland in late June for the grand reopening of a golf course he owns.
There are conflict-of-interest policies in many federal agencies, which makes Trump's behavior questionable in Ornstein's eyes.
Ornstein quotes the Congressional Research Service, which stated in 2005, "The principal federal conflict of interest law provides that an official who administers federal law should not take any official action on, or make recommendations concerning any particular governmental matter in which that official, or one closely associated with the official, has a personal 'financial interest.'"
But while there may be rules in place for federal employees, there are no conflict-of-interest regulations for presidential candidates to follow, writes Ornstein. That leaves Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, with the freedom to promote his various businesses as he campaigns for president.
In March, a lawyer who provided legal services to presidential candidates
told CNN a President Trump would have an enormous "ethical dilemma" because of the more than 500 businesses he owns.
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