Story highlights Errol Louis: Donald Trump Jr.'s claim that releasing tax returns would be a distraction suggests they would hurt his candidacy

Louis: Trump Organization's business deals could cause constant conflicts of interest

Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) Donald Trump's son, Donald Jr., recently admitted to a Pittsburgh newspaper that disclosing the candidate's finances would cause political problems, "because he's got a 12,000-page tax return that would create ... financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would distract from [his father's] main message."

The implication here is that these "auditors" could find information that would damage Trump's candidacy for President. Voters are left to guess at what that might be. Here are some things to consider:

Donald Trump's main calling card, his prowess as a hard-charging businessman, is a double-edged sword in the United States.--but also when it comes to his overseas commercial connections. Trump claims that his nearly 200 deals with foreign partners prove he would be a savvy negotiator as President -- but those same deals also suggest a Trump presidency would be dogged by constant conflicts of interest.

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It's not enough for Trump to pledge that he would stash his entire business in a blind trust run by his children. That's unrealistic: the sprawling Trump Organization, which includes more than 500 individual corporations and licensing arrangements, isn't like a portfolio of stocks that can be handed over to an outside manager.

Trump's business website lists real estate and hotel projects in Turkey, Canada, Panama, India, Philippines, Brazil and South Korea. Most have Trump's name plastered all over them, making it impossible to hide or disguise his direct financial interest in policies affecting those countries.

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