TPM - "This is What a Kleptocracy Looks Like"
Trump and his Lackeys Land in Biggest Ethics Quagmire Yet With Nordstrom Dustup
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-misuse-office-nordstrom-tweet
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published FEBRUARY 9, 2017, 4:05 PM EDT
When President Donald Trump jumped to his daughter's defense and bashed Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka Trump's clothing line, his tweet amounted to a misuse of office, ethics experts told TPM.
Larry Noble, general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, told TPM that Trump's tweet "is the cleanest example where there’s no question that he has brought the government weight to bear on a private business interest."
"This was a clear example of him crossing the line where he used the power of the White House to basically defend a business his family owns, and that is wrong," Noble said.
The move could open Trump up to legal action, the experts said. And by jumping to Trump's defense and promoting Ivanka Trump's line in a Fox News appearance Thursday morning, Kellyanne Conway likely broke a federal ethics regulation herself.
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