Ivanka Trump and the never ending “coincidences”
Almost daily, we receive reports of business dealings, payments, and transactions that occur that Donald J. Trump, his family, and MAGA would have you believe are “coincidences,” as they yell, “NO COLLUSION” or “WITCH HUNT.” But every day, more revelations come out and we know more and more that this administration is perhaps the most corrupt to date in our nation’s history, and it only took sixteen months.
The latest reports involve Ivanka Trump, who recently obtained full security clearance (how is unclear) and who benefitted from daddy’s interactions with China. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (“CREW”) reported on May 25, 2018 that Ivanka had obtained registration “approval” for five trademarks from China on May 7, and also received a “first trial” approval for a sixth trademark on May 6. The timing once again is the greatest coincidence in the world, or more likely, another item that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller or another prosecutor may need to consider and investigate.
On May 13, Trump announced that he and Chinesef President Xi “are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!” And on May 15, reports indicated that a Chinese-government owned company planned to build a theme park in Indonesia connected with Trump.
As CREW points out, the Ivanka and China favoritism goes back to the beginning of this administration. And when Trump did impose tariffs, by some manner, clothing imports (including the clothing Ivanka imports from China) were exempted. Depending on how this “coincidence” in timeline came to be, we might see more investigations into potential conflicts of interest for Trump and his family, more emoluments arguments, and potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues. Foreign policy should not be developed based on how Trump and his family and friends might personally benefit.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.