Trump and swamp drainage

NewRoxFan · Jan 16, 2017

More swamp drainage?

Big money names behind Trump inaugural start to leak out despite his secrecy plan
Some names have been leaked out or been released by the donors themselves. Chevron gave $500,000 and Boeing pledged $1 million, according to the New York Times. Other corporate donors include those who supported Obama or had declined to donate to the Republican National Convention last summer including UPS, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Deloitte and AT&T, according to the Times

“It is all about access and influence,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the nonpartisan public advocacy group Public Citizen. “Donations come in very large amounts and from those who almost always want something from the new administration.”

Trump’s decision comes after he spent months on the campaign trail pledging to “drain the swap” or rid Washington of business as usual when it comes to rewarding donors, among other things.

Still Trump’s decision doesn’t surprise those who have watched him hire or appoint donors and lobbyists for positions and appointments as well as advocate for secrecy.

He failed to release the names of so-called bundlers who raised thousands of dollars for him from friends, acquaintances and associates. He failed to release his tax returns, a common practice for presidential nominees for four decades. Some of his nominees to be Cabinet secretaries have delayed providing background materials before their confirmation hearings. And in recent days, he has threatened to investigate how journalists received classified information.

John Wonderlich, executive director for the Sunlight Foundation, which advocates for more openness in government, called Trump one of the most secretive candidates in modern history. “This trend is continuing through the pre-presidency and likely the presidency,” he said.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article126518069.html

calurker · Jan 16, 2017

More swamp filling....

First on CNN: Trump's cabinet pick invested in company, then introduced a bill to help it

Washington (CNN)Rep. Tom Price last year purchased shares in a medical device manufacturer days before introducing legislation that would have directly benefited the company, raising new ethics concerns for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary.

Price bought between $1,001 to $15,000 worth of shares last March in Zimmer Biomet, according to House records reviewed by CNN.

Less than a week after the transaction, the Georgia Republican congressman introduced the HIP Act, legislation that would have delayed until 2018 a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulation that industry analysts warned would significantly hurt Zimmer Biomet financially once fully implemented.

Zimmer Biomet, one of the world's leading manufacturers of knee and hip implants, was one of two companies that would been hit the hardest by the new CMS regulation that directly impacts the payments for such procedures, according to press reports and congressional sources.

After Price offered his bill to provide Zimmer Biomet and other companies relief from the CMS regulation, the company's political action committee donated to the congressman's reelection campaign, records show.

If confirmed, Price will be a key player in Trump's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Trump last week said a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare will be submitted "as soon as" Price is confirmed. He will appear before the Senate health committee this week, but must also appear before the Senate Finance Committee.

The new revelation is the latest example of Price trading stock in a health care firm at the same time as pursuing legislation that could impact a company's share price. The issue has become a major liability for the congressman after The Wall Street Journal reported last month that he traded roughly $300,000 in shares over the past four years in health companies while pursuing legislation that could impact them.

The purchase of the Zimmer Biomet shares is the latest such example, raising new concerns among ethics experts that Price may have inappropriately used inside information while purchasing shares in a company. Concerns over insider trading on Capitol Hill -- where members of Congress allegedly traded stock based on intelligence gleaned from the legislative process -- prompted the enactment of the STOCK Act in 2012 aimed at combating the practice.

"It clearly has the appearance of using your influence as a congressman to your financial benefit," Larry Noble, general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, said of Price's transaction. "If he believed in the bill, he should not have purchased the stock."

Phil Blando, a Price spokesman, did not respond directly to questions about the HHS nominee's purchase of Zimmer Biomet shares, instead pointing to a broader review of Price's holdings completed by the US Office of Government Ethics last week.

"Dr. Price takes his obligation to uphold the public trust very seriously," Blando said. "The Office of Government Ethics has completed an exhaustive review of Dr. Price's financial holdings and just as Dr. Price was compliant with congressional disclosure rules, Dr. Price will comply fully with the recommendations put forward by the ethics office."

A spokesperson for Zimmer Biomet did not respond to an inquiry seeking comment.

To avoid the appearance of conflicts-of-interest, Price announced last week that he would divest from 43 companies -- including Zimmer Biomet -- within 90 days of Senate confirmation. He said he will "not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter" on an issue that could affect any of those companies if he has not yet fully divested from them.

But as a congressman, Price did not appear to adhere to such strict limits, including with Zimmer Biomet. As one of the prominent GOP voices on health care, Price sat on an influential Ways and Means subcommittee that directly oversees health care policy.

And over the last year-and-a-half, Price raised objections to the CMS regulation that proposed major changes to how providers and manufacturers are paid and reimbursed for hip and knee implants through Medicare.

But medical device manufacturers, in particular, were poised to be hit the hardest by the new regulation, according to industry officials and congressional sources. And that posed a significant threat to Zimmer Biomet, which bills itself as a worldwide leader in hip and knee replacements. A report from trade publication Fierce Biotech last year said that the company's hip and knee implants account for 60 percent of its revenue.

In September 2015, Price spearheaded a letter to Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of CMS, asking that the regulation be delayed because it "represents a significant change to our healthcare delivery system which could have a negative impact on patient choice, access and quality."

Two days after the letter, Zimmer Biomet's PAC cut Price's reelection committee a check worth $1,000, according to campaign finance filings.

When CMS didn't listen to Price, the congressman unveiled his legislation to delay implementing the regulation until 2018, with the bill coming days after investing in the company, whose shares were worth $103.59 at the time.

Three months after he introduced the bill, the company's PAC cut Price's campaign committee another $1,000 check, according to records.

Noble, the ethics law expert, said that Price's motivations may have been pure, but the timing of the stock purchase raises eyebrows.

"When you join the government, you are held to a higher standard," Noble said. "And you are supposed to work for the public and not for yourself."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, responding to the CNN story, called for an ethics investigation into Price.

"This new report makes clear that this isn't just a couple of questionable trades, but rather a clear and troubling pattern of congressman Price trading stock and using his office to benefit the companies in which he is investing," Schumer said in a statement. "The Office of Congressional Ethics needs to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into these potential violations of the STOCK Act before Rep. Price's nomination moves forward."
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http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/16/politics/tom-price-bill-aiding-company/index.html

"Drumpfie, you're doing a heck of a jerb!" -GWB

NewRoxFan · Feb 23, 2017

Trump's transition team fell back into that swamp...

Billionaires, Corporations Helped Fund Trump Transition

The nonprofit formed to handle President Donald Trump's transition raised about $6.5 million in private contributions, fueled in part by corporate interests, billionaires and lobbyists, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of a new federal filing.

The transition nonprofit had spent roughly $4.7 million of this money as of Feb. 15.

Notable among Trump's transition supporters are lobbyists and the firms that employ them.

While Trump's inauguration committee banned contributions from lobbyists — part of Trump's "drain the swamp" effort — the transition operation did not, and many lobbyists eagerly helped raise money.
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Brian Ballard, for example, the longtime lobbyist for the Trump Organization, put together a fundraiser in Orlando and his firm, Ballard Partners, contributed the maximum $5,000. He has since opened a Washington, D.C., office and registered to represent a long list of high-profile corporate clients, including Amazon.com, American Airlines, private prison company the Geo Group (which contributed $5,000 to the transition directly) and U.S. Sugar Corp.

Other lobbyists listed on the transition's contributor list include David Tamasi, whose clients include the Alliance of Catholic Health Care; David Bockorny, whose clients include the American Beverage Association and 21st Century Fox; former Rep. Susan Molinari, now Google's lead lobbyist; and her husband, former Rep. Bill Paxon, a lobbyist for law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Lobbyist Richard Hohlt, who represents Altria and Chevron, also contributed.
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http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/billionaires-corporations-helped-fund-trump-transition-n724826

Indaface · Feb 23, 2017

Of all the things those poor mindless souls chanted during his rallies, "Drain the Swamp" is without a doubt the saddest to know they actually believed.

DaDakota · Feb 23, 2017

Stupid people believed him.....maybe this will wake them up to his lies.

DD

NewRoxFan · Mar 14, 2017

LOL, remember when Trump said he would "drain the swamp"?

CREW accuses Trump White House aide of violating conflict of interest laws

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is accusing a top White House official of potentially violating criminal conflict of interest laws by playing a role in meetings with major companies in which he also appeared to have held millions of dollars in stock.
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But CREW noted that the White House meetings — which covered tax, regulatiry, infrastructure and investment policies — took place on Jan. 23 and 24, as well as on Feb. 3, before his divesture certificate came out. CREW said in its complaint that the timing discrepancy “strongly indicates Mr. Liddell still held stock in the companies at that point and had not divested his financial interests in these assets prior to his participation in the meetings.”
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/...int-citizens-responsibility-and-ethics-236032

NewRoxFan · Mar 29, 2017

Hmm, since Michael Flynn also didn't sign Trump's "ethics" pledge, and now this one appears to have avoided signing that pledge, I wonder how many people in Trump's cabinet actually signed the pledge? Or is this still swampy business as usual?

A former Trump administration appointee who left without signing ethics pledge is now a lobbyist

Robert Wasinger, a former Trump campaign official and transition team member, served briefly as White House liaison to the State Department before joining McGuireWoods Consulting as senior vice president of its federal public affairs group last month. Last week, he registered as a lobbyist for Verizon and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, according to filings. His State Department tenure was first flagged by the liberal opposition research group American Bridge.

He is the second known Trump appointee who left the administration without signing a pledge to limit his lobbying activities.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...dge-is-now-a-lobbyist/?utm_term=.103d487d90a8

pirc1 · Mar 29, 2017

At this rate, the swamp will triple in size before he is done.

NewRoxFan · Apr 14, 2017

Gee, I wonder why Trump wants to keep WH visitors secret from now on...

Trump will keep list of White House visitors secret

The Trump administration announced Friday that it would not follow former president Barack Obama's policy of voluntarily disclosing the names of most visitors to the White House complex, citing “grave national security risks and privacy concerns.” The announcement, from an administration that has faced pointed questions about its commitment to transparency, marks a significant shift from an Obama White House that released the names of nearly 6 million lobbyists and other visitors during Obama's tenure.
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Instead, the Trump administration said it would release information under far more limited circumstances: when Freedom of Information Act requests are filed for those visiting offices of the White House classified under the law as separate agencies, such as the Office of Management and Budget.
Under the new policy, it will be up to the White House to decide whether to release names of visitors coming to meet with the president, vice president and their senior staff, at least in the short term. Under a separate statute, much of that information can become public years after Trump leaves office.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...te-house-visitor-logs/?utm_term=.9596e5425aa4

NewRoxFan · Apr 16, 2017

btw, Trump's past tweets on presidential transparency and hiding records...

NewRoxFan · Apr 19, 2017

Spicer on Wednesday brushed aside questions about the ethical implications of taking money from donors with pending policy issues in front of Trump’s government, calling it “nonpartisan activity” in which past administrations also participated. “This is a time-honored tradition,”

Companies with issues before government wrote big checks for Trump's inauguration

President Donald Trump’s record $106.7 million inauguration fundraising haul drew heavily from U.S. companies with policy issues in front of the new Republican administration, according to documents released Wednesday.

AT&T, the largest single corporate donor for January’s official government handover, gave $2.1 million as it awaits federal approval of its merger with Time Warner. San Diego-based Qualcomm donated $1 million while it continues to fight an Obama-era Federal Trade Commission anti-competitiveness complaint.
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Other Trump inauguration corporate donors -- named in an exhaustive 510-page Federal Election Commission report -- are among those who have been directly criticized by Trump himself. General Motors supplied nearly a half-million dollars to the president’s inauguration, including “in-kind” donations of vehicle services, even as it fends off his criticism for making Chevy Cruze models in Mexico. Defense contractor Boeing gave $1 million despite Trump’s complaints over its new Air Force One contract.

Amazon also opened its checkbook for Trump, giving nearly $58,000 for the inauguration even though its founder, Jeff Bezos, has drawn the president’s wrath on Twitter.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/trump-2017-inaugruation-fundraising-237359

NewRoxFan · Apr 19, 2017

Spicer calls it "civic pride"...

Energy companies gave millions to underwrite President Trump's inaugural

President Trump, who has moved quickly to sweep aside environmental regulations he says curtail U.S. energy production, took in more than $8 million from energy interests to help underwrite his Jan. 20 inauguration, according to a USA TODAY analysis of a newly filed inaugural report.

Energy companies and executives donating to Trump’s inaugural committee include Exxon Mobil, which contributed $500,000 in January and Clifford Forrest, the founder of Pennsylvania-based coal-mining company, Rosebud Mining. Forrest donated $1 million last December.
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Trump made slashing the Obama administration’s environmental rules and advancing American energy independence a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign. As president, he has followed through. Last month, he signed an executive order that seeks to roll back Obama-era policies that limited power-plant emissions and coal mining on federal lands.
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...erwrite-president-trumps-inaugural/100648124/

NewRoxFan · Apr 25, 2017

“State Department use of resources to promote a private business owned by President Trump constitutes a misuse and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, wrote in a letter.
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On Monday, a blog post on Trump’s luxury resort that was on the official website of State’s embassy and consulates in the United Kingdom gained attention.
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The April 5 blog post detailed the history of Mar-a-Lago, noting that the founder willed the estate to the U.S. government in 1973. But it did not specify that the federal government ultimately returned Mar-a-Lago to founder Marjorie Merriweather Post’s estate, nor that Trump had purchased the resort in 1983. The writeup was originally posted on ShareAmerica, described as State’s “platform for sharing compelling stories and images that spark discussion and debate."
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But the post on Trump’s “winter White House” was taken down Monday night after many expressed concerns that the U.S. government was promoting Trump's private resort. "The intention of the article was to inform the public about where the president has been hosting world leaders,” the web page now reads. “We regret any misperception and have removed the post.”
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http://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...group-files-complaint-on-mar-a-lago-promotion

pirc1 · Apr 25, 2017

NewRoxFan said: ↑

http://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...group-files-complaint-on-mar-a-lago-promotion
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Drowning the swamp is doing great!

NewRoxFan · May 2, 2017

Like father-in-law, like son-in-law, the swamp sewage doesn't flow far from the drain pipe...

Jared Kushner didn't disclose business ties to George Soros, Peter Thiel, and Goldman Sachs, or that he owes $1 billion in loans

Jared Kushner didn't disclose his business ties with George Soros, Peter Thiel, and Goldman Sachs, or that he owes $1 billion in loans, The Wall Street Journal reportedon Tuesday.

The top White House adviser and son-in-law of Trump failed to identify his part ownership of Cadre, a real-estate startup he founded, which links him to the Goldman Sachs Group and the mega-investors George Soros and Peter Thiel, sources told The Journal.
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Kushner also failed to identify debt of more than $1 billion from 20 lenders and personal guarantees to pay more than $300 million of that, according to The Journal.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/jare...ldman-sachs-peter-thiel-1-billion-loan-2017-5

dobro1229 · May 2, 2017

The irony of Kush getting Paid by none other than George Soros is the most hilarious Trump thing nobody is talking about.

dobro1229 · May 2, 2017

Also we should have an idea that Kush had a ridiculous amount of debt due to the 666 building in NYC which hasn't exactly panned out for him yet.

The conflicts of interest with him dealing with China on anything are incredibly outrageous. Guy was a billion dollars on the line that he's in the hole for. If you think he's not going to prioritize that over yours or my wellbeing in foreign policy decisions with these countries like China with state run banking institutions you really are a complete moron.

Roc Paint · May 2, 2017

So what, Trump is pulling an ESPN

NewRoxFan · May 5, 2017

LOL... Maybe someone in the Trump administration should sit down and explain to be people about ethics. Like... what the word means as a start...

State Dept. account retweets, then deletes, tweet about Ivanka Trump book

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/politics/state-department-ivanka-trump-book-tweet/

pirc1 · May 5, 2017

NewRoxFan said: ↑

LOL... Maybe someone in the Trump administration should sit down and explain to be people about ethics. Like... what the word means as a start...

State Dept. account retweets, then deletes, tweet about Ivanka Trump book

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/politics/state-department-ivanka-trump-book-tweet/
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Trump definition of ETHICS: 1) Anything I do is ethical and just.

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