Trump Organization plots return to Dominican Republic, sparking ethics concerns
Source: ABC News
Trump Organization plots return to Dominican Republic, sparking ethics concerns
By MATTHEW MOSK, KYRA PHILLIPS, ALEX HOSENBALL, KAITLYN FOLMER and BRIAN EPSTEIN Dec 17, 2018, 7:31 AM ET
When the Trump Organization left the Dominican Republic after the economy crashed ten years ago, their plans for dozens of luxury estates in a Trump-branded development appeared to leave with them. Buyers who staked millions on lots for their dream homes were left empty handed. The Trump team sued the developers, alleging fraud. And the billboards bearing the Trump name came down.
Now, there are signs the Trump brand may be returning to the Dominican Republic, and that has critics sounding alarms about the potential conflicts of interest for the sitting president of the United States.
“The constitution is very clear,” Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland on the foreign relations committee, told ABC News. “We expect the President to avoid these types of conflicts.”
The first sign the Trumps might try again came 16 days after Donald Trump took the oath of office. His son Eric made a visit to the island on Feb. 5. 2017 to meet with the same developers he had once accused of “textbook fraud.” With the legal case settled, they had appeared to make peace.
“We are excited to be working with the Trump Organization in the future phases of the project,” a press release from the local developers said at the time. The visit sparked months of rumors, but no details emerged about how or when the Trump Organization would make its formal return to the island, and the original property where Trump helped market luxury estates remained largely barren.
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Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-organization-plots-quiet-return-dominican-republic-igniting/story?id=59859696
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