The meeting was the latest news since the election to prompt questions over how Trump will keep his business interests separate from his work as president. With Trump continuing to maintain close ties to his businesses, there is no way to know whether as president, he’ll act in the country’s interest, or his own. Thus far, the president-elect’s surrogates have dismissed any suggestion of potential impropriety or conflict of interest.

On the same day of Trump’s meeting with the businessmen, the Trump International Hotel, which opened last month in Washington, D.C., hosted about 100 foreign diplomats for a tour intended to encourage future bookings for leaders from their countries. Some guests won raffle prizes, like overnight stays at Trump properties around the world, The Washington Post reported. Some diplomats told the Post that spending money at the hotel is “an easy, friendly gesture” to Trump, but others worried that doing so could give diplomats the appearance of trying to win favor with the president-elect.

Two days later, Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who will take over running the family’s business in January, joined her father at his meeting with Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan. Reporters weren’t allowed to attend, and no summary of the meeting—Trump’s first with a foreign head of state—was provided. Top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway described it as a “much more informal meeting,” with matters of policy left for after the inauguration.

Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s newly appointed chief of staff, attempted to assuage concerns’ over the ethical implications of these interactions Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “As White House chief of staff, you’re supposed to look out for any political or ethical minefields,” host Jake Tapper said. “Is it seriously the position of the Trump transition team that this is not a huge cauldron of potential conflicts of interest?”

Priebus replied: “Obviously we will comply with all of those laws and we will have our White House counsel review all of these things. We will have every ‘i’ dotted and every ‘t’ crossed, and I can assure the American people that there wouldn’t be any wrongdoing or any sort of undue influence over any decision-making.”

For now, the Trump transition team will likely continue to dismiss meetings between Trump and foreign individuals as “informal,” a tactic that will expire in 60 days.

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