The two lawmakers specifically raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest between Trump’s business ties and his role as president. | Getty Warren, Cummings ask GAO to look into Trump conflicts of interest

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Elijah Cummings want the Government Accountability Office to review the transition effort of President-elect Donald Trump for potential conflicts of interest or breaches of security and diplomatic protocol.

The two specifically raise concerns over potential conflicts of interest between Trump’s role as president and his business ties.


Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Cummings, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ask that the review “address several concerns, including conflicts of interest related to business holdings of Mr. Trump and his family; potential violations of protocol and security precautions related to Mr. Trump’s communications with foreign leaders; and transparency related to the use of taxpayer funds in the transition.”

Citing reports, Warren and Cummings (D-Md.) asked in their letter to GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro that the office look into Trump’s business ties to China, Libya, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia as well as reports that foreign diplomats have begun currying favor with Trump by staying at his new Washington, D.C., hotel.

The two also want GAO to examine reports that the president-elect met with three Indian business partners during the transition, and that work on a property in Argentina was allowed to continue after a phone call between Trump and the Argentinian president.

“At this point, it is not clear if the line between Mr. Trump’s presidency and his and business ventures is blurred — or entirely nonexistent,” they write. “[C]laims that Mr. Trump's [children] will set up a ‘blind’ trust do not appear to be consistent with the meaning of that term or with legal requirements that apply to such trusts.”

The two also want GAO to look into whether the transition has used taxpayer funds “efficiently and effectively,” citing reports that Trump has reimbursed his company for travel using government money.

Also requested in the letter: a review of whether Trump violated security and diplomatic protocol in calls and meetings with world leaders on unsecured lines or in Trump Tower, and the status of so-called landing team coordination by the transition with the Obama administration.

Hinting at the possible introduction of legislation, Cummings and Warren also ask GAO to “provide any recommendations necessary to ensure that future presidential transitions are not marred by conflicts of interest or other problems.”