For a man who claims not to take a salary for his role as president, Trump sure is profiting from his presidency in every way, shape, and form. At the headquarters of the Coast Guard Exchanges in Washington, D.C., as well as in Centreville, Virginia, Trump-branded wine and cider are for sale. Now, the sales aren't a direct legal violation because the President is exempt from most federal conflict-of-interest laws, but they raise ethical concerns about the Trump Organization profiting from the presidency.
Forbes reports:
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the exchanges were carrying Trump wines in a statement to Forbes, saying, “The brave men and women of the USCG are pleased to be able to buy Trump wine and cider tax free.”
While there’s been no shortage of Trump’s businesses capitalizing on the presidency—from using the presidential seal on golf markers at his courses to selling a $75 coffee table book showcasing pictures by his official White House photographer—these wines are among the few times Trump products have been sold at a government facility.
The White House referred inquiries to the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard deferred to DHS and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.
James Comer, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, viewed Hunter Biden's art sales as a potential ethical conflict and an attempt to profit from his father's position. I wonder what he thinks about this. Or how about Trump's pardon Saturday for a former New York police sergeant, Michael McMahon, who was convicted of assisting China in an attempt to coerce an ex-official into returning to his home country.
And then there's the case of Alexander Smirnov, the ex–FBI informant who admitted to completely fabricating the Biden-Burisma connection, who, as reported today, had been released from prison just months into his six-year prison sentence. And no one knows where he is. Rep. James Comer declared last year that Smirnov’s claims were “a very crucial piece of our investigation.”
My point is that Trump is getting away with a lot of illegal and unethical shit, but when it came to Joe Biden, they besmirched his character by fabricating lies.
