Spicer falsely claims Trump ‘can’t’ have conflicts of interest

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday waved off a question about President Donald Trump’s potential conflicts of interest in the Dakota Access Pipeline, claiming it was impossible.

"By law, he can't have conflicts,” Spicer said when asked about a financial disclosure showing Trump owned stock in the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump took steps to approve today. (Trump’s team says he sold his stocks this summer, though they have declined to provide documentation)

That’s not true.

The main federal law against conflicts of interest exempts the president, but that does not mean such conflicts cannot exist. Additionally, other ethics laws do apply to the president, such as the STOCK Act against trading on government information and the prohibition on bribery.

Trump’s own lawyer acknowledged as much when she announced steps this month to distance Trump from his businesses. She cited the potential for conflicts of interest when installing an ethics adviser in Trump’s company, rejecting calls for him to divest from the company, and donating profits from foreign governments.

"In sum, I and president-elect’s other advisers at Morgan Lewis have determined the approach we’ve outlined today will avoid potential conflicts of interests or concerns regarding exploitation of the office of the presidency without imposing unnecessary and unreasonable loses on the president-elect and his family,” the lawyer, Sheri Dillon, said on Jan. 11.