Lucy P. Marcus reveals that The Washington Post "has created a new team devoted specifically to covering conflicts of interest within the Trump administration and possible violations of the Emoluments Clause." The US Constitution "prohibits anyone holding public office from accepting money or gifts from foreign officials," and Trump's path is full of pitfalls.

The Post is known for its investigative coverage of the Watergate scandal between 1972-1974. Since then an independent Office of Government Ethics (OGE) was set up to ensure that government employees cannot profit from any businesses. As a tycoon-turned-reality-TV-star won the election, "efforts have been made to counter - or, at least, highlight - the ethics violations that Trump and his team are accumulating."

Indeed, Senate Republicans are so eager to regain power that they "have pushed forward confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet picks, even though proper vetting and financial disclosures have not yet taken place." Walter Shaub, the OGE director wrote to congressional leaders saying his agency had been overwhelmed by the task of certifying Trump's Cabinet nominees and people in his entourage. Many of them have vast financial interests that could lead to conflicts of interest, leaving them with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues, as they pursue their government duties. The New York Times quipped that the standard government disclosure forms don't have enough boxes for these billionaire tycoons to list all their financial interests.

Critics fear that Trump, as head-of-state and business owner could make decisions that might influence both domestic and foreign policy as well as government agencies to benefit his extensive, international business. Presidents are not subject to the same conflict of interest rules as other government employees, and Trump's predecessors had placed their investments into a blind trust to prevent any question of corruption. Ethics experts have urged him to liquidate his business holdings so that he could avoid any appearance of a conflict. Yet he didn't follow their advice and insisted that his adult sons would run the Trump Organization during his presidency. But they were also members of his transition team and had attended meetings with foreign leaders. His business is private, and the full extent of his holdings - and the potential for conflicts - is not known. Unlike everybody else, he has so far refused to release his tax returns.

As Trump hasn't done enough to "disentangle himself from his business," the fear remains that he could get embroiled in conflicts of interest. But, for now, "Trump and his enablers seem committed to continuing down their current path - an approach that is already weakening America’s moral authority," turning the country into a banana republic. While many world leaders "are concerned about Trump’s behavior, many others are probably thinking that they now have tacit permission to do likewise. Business leaders, too, may conclude that they can flout ethical rules." Cronyism and nepotism create injustice that often leads to social instability.

As the intelligence findings indicate that Trump had been propelled to electoral victory by Russia, many Americans doubt his legitimacy. His critics and opponents are watching closely, looking out for every opportunity to remove him from office. They hope that the many conflicts of interest between his function and his business might one day lead to an impeachment. As mendacious and vicious as he is, many look forward to seeing the inglorious end of this divisive megalomaniac.﻿