• Ethics experts say their 'fear has been realized' regarding conflict of Trump Hotel in Panama
    9 replies, posted
[quote][B]Ethics experts fear that the week-long standoff at a Panamanian hotel between ownership and the Trump Organization just presented one of the most consequential conflicts of interest yet for President Donald Trump.[/B] The dispute broke out into the open last week when Orestes Fintiklis, the majority owner of the hotel, arrived in the lobby of the building with associates. His aim was to fire the Trump Organization, which has managed the hotel since its 2011 opening. The Trump Organization, however, refused to leave. In the days since, police have been called to the property multiple times to, as the Associated Press reported, "keep the peace." Meanwhile, after Fintiklis and his associates hand-delivered termination notices to Trump Organization employees at the hotel on Thursday, [B]witnesses told the wire service they saw Trump executives moving files to a room, where they would be shredded.[/B] [B]It's gotten so bad that footage has leaked of Trump Organization security and hotel officials fighting within the building. CNN reported that armed Panamanian authorities entered the building amid the standoff.[/B] Late last week, Fintiklis' lawyer went to Panamanian authorities to complain about the Trump staffers issuing threats and intimidating him so he wouldn't enter the building. [B]Panamanian prosecutors then promised to investigate Trump's namesake company for its role in the episode. If that probe is opened, it would mark the first such investigation into the Trump Organization by a foreign government during Trump's presidency — something that has many ethicists on edge.[/B][/quote] [quote][B]Even though Trump passed control off to his two adult sons prior to taking office in January, he did not enter into a blind trust or divest from the business as experts pleaded with him to do.[/B] "When the president refused to divest from his businesses, [B]there was always the fear that there would be some sort of incident at one of his overseas entities, and his judgment and loyalty could be tested[/B]," Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told Business Insider in an email. "[B]That fear has been realized. The president can obviously have a great impact on American foreign policy toward Panama.[/B] How could this affect that? We don't know, but it's not good that we have to ask."[/quote] [quote]"He can't just go around and recuse himself from various decisions," Larry Noble, senior director and general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, told Business Insider. "Especially when you're dealing with international relations. [B]It's the problem we said would happen and it is happening."[/B][/quote] [quote]"Obviously, that affects his feelings about that foreign country," Noble said. "And so, when he has to make any decisions that may impact Panama, [B]we have to ask, is he doing it to get back at them? Or to make them happy because of his business?[/B] Or is it really just in the interest of the American people? And that's your classic conflict of interest." "If they really do start a major investigation of this property, [B]is he going to start tweeting about Panama and our relations with Panama?" he continued. "This is a real tangled web, and it's a problem."[/B][/quote] [quote]"The question is how will it influence what he does," he said. "And we've seen before that [B]he tends to lash out when he feels people are attacking his daughter's business, or basically attacking him. It's one thing when a pundit or expert attacks him, its another when another country is trying to enforce its laws and finds itself at odds with his business[/B]." Panama could decide to drop the case or not pursue it, being unwilling to ruffle the US's feathers. That too presents problems. "What if all of a sudden Panama drops it and the people who've been challenging the Trump hotel, saying wait a second, our government only did that because they don't want to take on the US," Noble said. "That has its own complications. [B]It's a very specific instance of the conflict we all warned about playing out.[/B]"[/quote] [url]http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-organization-panama-hotel-conflict-2018-3[/url]
War with China? Nah War with Iran? No War with North Korea? Nope "Thus began the 2018 America-Panama War..."
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;53174166]War with China? Nah War with Iran? No War with North Korea? Nope "Thus began the 2018 America-Panama War..."[/QUOTE] Wouldn't be much of a war, Panama abolished its standing army in 1994 after its military dictatorship was overthrown by a US invasion five year prior
[quote]we have to ask, is he doing it to get back at them? Or to make them happy because of his business? Or is it really just in the interest of the American people?[/quote] For some reason I doubt it would be that last one
[QUOTE=Bob The Knob;53174188]Wouldn't be much of a war, Panama abolished its standing army in 1994 after its military dictatorship was overthrown by a US invasion five year prior[/QUOTE] I sincerely doubt Trump knows that. He may not even know where Panama is on the map.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;53174198]I sincerely doubt Trump knows that. He may not even know where Panama is on the map.[/QUOTE] let alone where america is
[QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;53174200]let alone where america is[/QUOTE] everywhere is 'Trump' and 'Yet to be Trump' in the eyes of the Orange One
I've never heard Trump say or mention Panama before, personally. So if all of a sudden he starts trashing them or talking about them at all, I think it'll be pretty fucking obvious how big of a conflict of interest it is
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;53174198]I sincerely doubt Trump knows that. He may not even know where Panama is on the map.[/QUOTE] You joke but headlines next week [QUOTE]Marine forces land, capture Panama City Florida after declaration of war [/QUOTE]
Literally the first time hearing this, and I live just down the block from that hotel.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.