I don't think Teresa Heinz-Kerry would have divested of anything had John Kerry been elected. And I'm sure nobody would have raised a stink, except republicans. The Kennedys never divested of anything, either.
Uhm, Theresa didn't run Heinz. She just had a lot of money. You don't have to divest yourself of wealth. That's not the requirement (er, the requirement for ethical people, anyway). barfo
Don Jr. says to "trust" him, they won't ever talk to daddy about it while he's in office. Good thing our president elect is getting his son-in-law top secret clearance so they have things to discuss at the dinner table.
If a foreign government gives him a tax break for his next international project... http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/us/politics/donald-trump-conflict-of-interest.html
The same issue in my original post. He will have an aura of corruption surrounding his presidency if he doesn't get a blind trust. He is supposed to be draining the swamp. But it might turn out he really is Shrek.
What does "running" Heinz (or not) have to do with the possibility Kerry would cut some deal that helps the company? Or any of the other stocks she particularly held?
He also didn't get elected, so this entire discussion is presuming too much. You can presume that Kerry would have sold the White House to the Trump Organization to convert to a hotel, if you'd like. barfo
Can someone direct me to the place in the Constitution that dictates the President divest himself of all holdings? Perhaps it is an amendment? I don't believe it was ever established by president. Or are the libs just working up a tizzy?
The Democrats were more concerned with defending Heinz for outsourcing jobs overseas. https://pjmedia.com/blog/john-kerry-no-blind-trusts-tax-avoidance-and-conflicts-of-interest/ John Kerry: No Blind Trusts, Tax Avoidance, and Conflicts of Interest But with a net worth over $230 million, Kerry and his wife -- whose $1B net worth dwarfs her husband’s -- over the years have avoided millions of dollars in taxes through a complex web of inherited trust funds. Last year alone they earned about $4.8 million for which they paid no taxes. Moreover, the Kerrys haven’t placed any investments into a blind trust, as recommended for avoiding conflicts of interest. They also have numerous stock investments in companies standing to benefit from Kerry’s voting for bailouts and ObamaCare. According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), the 12-member super committee, charged with cutting the national debt $1.5T, “by and large, are far wealthier than the average American.” Leading the pack, financially speaking, is Senator Kerry, whose net worth is estimated to be $239M (averaging the latest available estimated minimum and maximum values from CRP). This is about 2,500 times the average American’s net worth of $96,000.
I think everyone agrees that conflict of interest rules don't apply to the president - he is free to use the power of the office for his own financial benefit to the maximum of his abilities. Happy now? barfo
