Commentary: Common Cause has just released a report that summarizes in one place all the conflicts of interest and ethical problems presented by the new administration, Viki Harrison, director of Common Cause New Mexico, said today. “It’s a great resource and I encourage you to check out” at
http://stateoftheswamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/State_of_the_Swamp.pdf
“The President is using his office for private gain,” said Karen Hobart Flynn, director of Common Cause. In unusually harsh language, she calls Trump’s violations in just the first 100 days “contemptible.” The report contends his administration is the most corrupt in the history of the presidency.
To really drain the swamp, the report recommends:
-Required disclosure of five years of tax returns for all candidates for President and Vice President
-More detailed personal financial disclosure requirements for the President and Vice President to show income and debt
-Required disclosure of White House and other venue’s visitor logs
-Required disclosure of ethics agreements and any waivers signed by executive branch political appointees
-Strengthened “revolving door” lobbying requirements for political appointees leaving and entering executive branch employment
-Requirement that the President and Vice President place all assets that create conflicts into a blind trust managed by an independent trustee who oversees conversion into conflict-free holdings ###
Common Cause is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promotes equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empowers all people to make their voices heard as equals in the political process.