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The First Family for Sale

By Bill Press, Tribune Content Agency on

While Mr. Page is away, Bill Press is filling in for him.

Tacky. There's no other word to describe it.

Tacky. That adjective best sums up the self-serving behavior exhibited by almost the entire Trump family so far -- father, daughter, and both sons -- all busy finding ever more creative ways to sell themselves off to the highest bidder.

Donald Trump himself set the pace by refusing to sell off his vast business holdings and place the money in a blind trust, which the Wall Street Journal recommended as the only way to avoid massive conflicts of interest between his old job as businessman and his new role as president.

Instead, Trump continues to mix the two as president-elect, meeting with business partners from India and the Philippines and continuing to make deals, even while he prepares to take the oath of office. Last week, he also met with Mexican mogul Carlos Slim. Did they discuss building a wall along the border or a new Trump Tower in Mexico City? Who knows?

Meanwhile, the new Trump International Hotel Washington DC, just blocks from the White House, has become ground zero for deal-making. After 100 foreign diplomats received a tour of the hotel amid hints they might gain favor with the new administration by booking guests and holding events there, the calendar has filled up. Among other happenings, on Dec. 7, the kingdom of Bahrain held a celebration there, honoring its king; Azerbaijan co-hosted a Hanukkah party in the Trump ballroom on Dec. 14 and Kuwait moved its annual reception on Feb. 25 from the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown to Trump International.

Now Trump's lawyers are busy trying to find a way for him to continue making money from the hotel once he's president, since existing law prohibits any federal employee from leasing government-owned property.

But Trump's not the only member of the family to seize the presidency as a giant money-making opportunity. In terms of cashing in, the little Trump apples didn't fall far from the big Trump tree.

Daughter Ivanka, who will take over what used to be the first lady's office in the White House, is still hawking her line of clothing at Macy's, Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor, most of which is made in China. And for only $10,800 you can buy a copy of the diamond bracelet she wore on “60 Minutes.”

 

But why go so cheap? For $72,888 you could slurp a cup of coffee with Ivanka. At least that was the high bid in an auction sponsored by her brother Eric to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Tennessee -- until The New York Times reported on the tasteless brother/sister caper and the Trump organization pulled the plug.

But that didn't stop the shameless peddling of access to the first family. Not to be outsold, sons Eric and Donald Jr. also got into the act. As first reported by TMZ, the invitation to a fundraiser at the Washington Convention Center on Jan. 21, the day after the Inauguration, solicited "Bald Eagle" donors at $1 million each, or "Grizzly Bear" donors at $500,000 -- in return for which they would be rewarded with a photo-op with President Trump and a multi-day hunting or fishing expedition with one or both brothers. In the spirit of the inaugural, guests were encouraged to wear "camouflage and cufflinks."

Again, once news of that event became public, Eric and Donald Jr. hastily announced they would no longer participate. But they're still listed as directors of the sponsoring foundation, and the very fact that they initially agreed to sell access to the president shows how tone-deaf they are. Clearly, they see the White House as an opportunity to make or raise money, not serve the public.

This is all the more ironic after Donald Trump spent a year and a half accusing Bill and Hillary Clinton of "pay for play." Trump's still president-elect, yet he and his kids are already doing the same thing, but even worse. Donors to the Clinton Foundation may have hoped to get access; donors to the Trump charities are guaranteed access for a price.

There should be a law against selling access to any member of the first family, but there's not. Still, it's wrong because it cheapens the office of president of the United States. As Norm Eisen, ethics lawyer for President Obama, explains: "You never, ever want to have government officials using their public office for the private gain, even for a worthy charity."

It may not be illegal, but it's still tacky.

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(Bill Press is host of a nationally-syndicated radio show, CNN political analyst and the author of a new book, "Buyer's Remorse," which is available in bookstores now. You can hear "The Bill Press Show" at his website: billpressshow.com. His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter at @bpshow.)


(c) 2016 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

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