Chuck Todd's Take: Donald Trump's Conflicts Of Interest Hard To Ignore | MTP Daily

>>> GOOD EVENING. I'M CHUCK TODD HERE IN
WASHINGTON. WELCOME TO "MTP DAILY."
RIGHT NOW THE PRESIDENT IS RACING TO FIND A LEGISLATIVE
ACCOMPLISHMENT AHEAD OF A 100-DAY DEADLINE THAT HE TODAY
HAS CALLED RIDICULOUS. THERE ARE RUMBLINGS OF A
POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN AS THE PRESIDENT LOOKS FOR A WIN ON
HEALTH CARE, TAX REFORM OR THE BORDER WALL.
BOTH THE STRUGGLES AND SETBACKS, CONFRONTATIONS, INVESTIGATIONS
AND GENERAL CHAOS OF THE PRESIDENT'S 100 DAYS HAVE
CONSUMED A TON OF OXYGEN. BUT THERE'S AN ISSUE THAT
PERHAPS JUST AS IMPORTANT IF NOT MORE THAT HAS NOW BEEN THRUST
BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. THE PRESIDENT'S POSSIBLE
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. FIRST OF ALL, REMEMBER THIS.
>> HILLARY CLINTON DID GOVERNMENT FAVORS FOR THOSE
GIVING HER FAMILY AND HER FOUNDATION MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF
CASH. >> HILLARY CLINTON'S
PAY-FOR-PLAY CORRUPTION DURING HER TENURE AS SECRETARY OF
STATE. >> IF SHE WERE TO WIN, IT WOULD
CREATE UNPRECEDENTED CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
>> WHEN WE WIN ON NOVEMBER 8th, WE ARE GOING TO WASHINGTON,
D.C., AND WE ARE GOING TO DRAIN THE SWAMP.
>> HOW COULD YOU FORGET THAT PHRASE?
BUT HERE'S THE STRANGE THING. PRESIDENT TRUMP MIGHT BE HOPING
THAT WE'VE BECOME NUMB TO THE ISSUE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST,
AND THERE ARE SOME SIGNS THAT WE HAVE.
BUT THE CONTROVERSIES SHOULDN'T AND CANNOT BE IGNORED.
RIGHT NOW THE WHITE HOUSE IS PUSHING BACK ON REPORTS THAT THE
PRESIDENT SECRETLY MET AT MAR-A-LAGO WITH TWO FORMER
COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTS, WHO ARE BOTH STAUNCH CRITICS OF A
CONTROVERSIAL PEACE DEAL BETWEEN COLOMBIAN REBELS AND THEIR
CURRENT ELECTED GOVERNMENT, A DEAL THAT THE U.S. BACKED UNDER
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HAS SOME CONGRESSIONAL STRINGS ATTACHED
TO IT -- THAT BACKING -- WHICH WOULD MEAN MONEY TO COLOMBIA.
NOW, CITING COLOMBIA MEDIA REPORTS, "THE MIAMI HERALD,"
WHICH SAYS THIS MEETING, WHICH TOOK PLACE LAST WEEKEND WAS
ARRANGED BY FLORIDA SENATOR MARCO RUBIO, WHO HAS BEEN
CRITICAL OF THAT DEAL IN COLOMBIA.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS FORMER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTS MERELY
SHARED A HANDSHAKE WITH MR. TRUMP.
BUT PASS TRA THAT PUBLICLYLICLY TWEETED IT WAS MORE THAN THAT.
HE THANKED THE PRESIDENT FOR A, QUOTE, VERY FRANK CONVERSATION,
UNQUOTE, ABOUT COLOMBIA'S PROBLEMS.
FOLKS, YOU CAN'T JUST WALK INTO MAR-A-LAGO, WHICH TRUMP OWNS, TO
SPEAK WITH THE PRESIDENT. YOU'VE GOT TO PAY SERIOUS CASH
OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DID PAY IF YOU WANT TO GET IN THE DOOR.
BY THE WAY, THE PRICE TAG IS NOW $200,000 JUST TO BECOME A
MEMBER. IT USED TO BE $100,000 BEFORE
THE ELECTION. IN THIS CASE, IT'S A MYSTERY WHO
PAID THAT FEE AND HOW EXACTLY THEY GOT TWO FOREIGN LEADERS
ACCESS TO THE PRESIDENT. NOW, YOU MIGHT CALL THIS THE
MAR-A-LAGO LOOPHOLE, AND IT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG IN A
RECENT FLOOD OF QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE PRESIDENT'S
POSSIBLE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU PROBABLY KNOW
THAT THE PRESIDENT HAD A CONTROVERSY PHONE CALL WITH THE
TURKISH PRESIDENT THIS WEEK TO CONGRATULATE HIM FOR ESSENTIALLY
GRABBING MORE POWER AND MAKING HIS COUNTRY A BIT LESS
DEMOCRATIC. WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT NOW IS
THERE'S A TRUMP TOWER IN TURKEY. YOU MIGHT KNOW THE PRESIDENT
DITCHED HIS ATTACKS ON CHINA AS A CURRENCY MANIPULATION, BUT YOU
MIGHT NOT KNOW THE COMMENTS CAME AFTER IVANKA'S BUSINESS WAS
GRANTED PRELIMINARY CONTROVERSIAL FOR HER BRAND OF
CLOTHING AND JEWELRY. THERE ARE REPORTS THAT JARED
KUSHNER IS EYEING A $400 MILLION DEALT WITH A CHINESE PERSON, YOU
MIGHT HAVE MISSED THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
TO FUNNEL MONEY BACK TO TRUMP'S BUSINESSES.
AND THE PRESIDENT'S TRUST ALLOWS THE PRESIDENT TO PULL MONEY FROM
HIS VARIOUS BUSINESS VENTURES WHENEVER HE WANTS.
NO ONE IS SAYING ANY OF THIS IS PROOF OF ANY QUID PRO QUO, BUT
IT DOES END UP RAISING SERIOUS QUESTIONS, AND IT DOES END UP
RAISING QUESTIONS A

Chuck Todd's Take: Donald Trump's Conflicts Of Interest Hard To Ignore | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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