“Congress must finally have answers to questions about Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest if we are to have any faith that America’s democracy and people are safe and their interests secure.”
Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement calling for Congress to refuse moving forward with confirmations of Donald Trump’s nominees until the President-elect releases his tax returns and fully answers questions regarding his many conflicts of interest after reports of Russian interference in the presidential elections and other ties between Donald Trump and foreign entities.
Below is the full statement from Congressman Nadler on Donald Trump’s conflicts of interests:
“It is disappointing, but no surprise, that President-elect Trump has delayed, yet again, detailing how he will address the very real and disturbing legal concerns over the massive web of conflicts posed by his business interests. His postponement of this week's planned press conference indicates that he is not ready or willing to adequately answer the American people's questions, which is unacceptable.
“This comes as U.S. intelligence agencies have confirmed Russian interference aimed at helping Donald Trump win the presidency, a confirmation which strikes at the core of American democracy, eroding the nation's trust in its elected leaders. Each day, new entanglements between Mr. Trump’s business interests and American foreign policy are revealed, some of which appear to violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause as well as various federal laws.
“Donald Trump has been the least transparent presidential candidate in history, and his refusal to release his tax returns or liquidate his assets and place them in a blind trust— the only acceptable plan to address conflict-of-interest concerns—is appalling. His repeated pledges to address these conflicts, followed by no answers or action whatsoever, reveal his promises to be nothing but a sham.
“Congress must demand answers to questions about Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest if we are to have any faith that America’s democracy and people are safe and their interests secure. We must have an investigation. Mr. Trump should release his tax returns and completely eliminate his conflicts of interest, which violate the Constitution and threaten our democratic institutions. We should not confirm any of the President-elect’s nominees until these issues are resolved.”