Donald Trump is already cozying up to foreign dictators to boost his family's real estate development company — even though he promised to focus on the public's business instead of his own.
Kurt Eichenwald details some of the shady ties Trump has cultivated and continued since his election last month in a bombshell Newsweek report published Tuesday that may have led the president-elect to postpone his promised news conference on his business dealings.
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"The president-elect vowed during the campaign to eliminate potential conflicts by severing ties to his company — yet, with only weeks to go until he takes the oath of office, he hasn't laid out a credible plan," Eichenwald wrote. "Trump's sole suggestion to date — a 'blind trust' run by his children — would not eliminate the conflicts, given that the money generated would still go to his family. Moreover, such a trust would be anything but blind."
Trump on Dec. 2 called Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, who said the American endorsed his brutal massacre of suspected street criminals and drug addicts that has left an estimated 4,500 dead.
The rest of the international community has condemned Duterte's vigilante campaign — but the Filipino president says Trump invited him to the White House.
"The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in keeping Duterte happy," Eichenwald wrote. "Trump Tower at Century City in Makati, Philippines, is on the verge of completion, with potential buyers having placed deposits on at least 94 percent of the condominiums, according to Century Properties, the Trump Organization's business partner there."
His sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, took part in a photo opportunity at the site during the presidential campaign, and their sister is selling some of her jewelry on the building's website.
"The Trump family has an enormous financial interest in Duterte's deadly campaign," Eichenwald reported. "Rooting out crime in the Philippines is good for the real estate values."
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