People actually believed that Donald Trump was going to let go of his business interests once he became president. Here's a guy who started with "a small loan of $1 million" and worked tirelessly for decades, weathering bankruptcies and scouring the Earth for lines of credit, in order to build his eponymous Organization. (That he's also shown no interest in subjugating his own will to the public good only compounds matters.) Back in February at the Electric Kool-Aid Press Conference, Trump announced he was turning things over to his children. People who were not Trump's lawyer immediately slammed the arrangement as insufficient.

As ProPublica made clear today, Trump isn't just Not Doing Enough. There is a specific clause in the letters between the Trump Organization and the government that makes it abundantly clear this decision is no mere oversight. According to the language, in ProPublica's estimation, "Trump can draw money from his more than 400 businesses, at any time, without disclosing it."

The new clause was part of a change to the trust documents made on February 10, weeks after the plan was announced. The key part of the language, which trust attorney Frederick J. Tansill described to ProPublica as "incredibly broad," is this:

"[The trust] shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request" or whenever his son and longtime attorney "deem appropriate." That can include everything from profits to the underlying assets, such as the businesses themselves.

President Trump could see a direct profit from any business deals the Trump Organization makes—say, hypothetically, a hotel deal in a foreign state. (Specifically, a deal that could be sped up or facilitated by a change in U.S. government policy or posture towards that state.) It's easy to spot the conflicts of interest. When you add in that Shining Star Eric Trump has already said he'll be supplying his father with periodic earnings updates, the whole thing looks like a thoroughly compromising mess.

As the report points out, one way the president could make the citizens he reputedly serves aware of what kind of money he's raking in would be to release his tax returns. He could also declare those earnings on his federal financial disclosure form in 2018, but it's not required. You can look forward to some serious Swamp Drainage over the next few years.

Jack Holmes Politics Editor Jack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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