The norms. The poor, trod-upon political norms. Candidates release their tax returns. They don’t openly let their family members slash business partners sit in on state-level meetings. They don’t offer high level political appointments to family members slash business partners. Their philanthropic “Foundations” do not engage in self-dealing, and they are not simple laundromats for cash. They place their financial holdings into some kind of blind trust or third party management to avoid conflicts of interest. They sleep in the White House. They meet foreign dignitaries at the White House. They don’t put their presidential transition on hold to engage in dealmaking with foreign (Indian, in this case) businessmen. They don’t encourage foreign heads of state to accept their prior business proposals now that they’ve won an election (Argentina).
It’s a long list, and getting longer day by day. Those little things Americans could somewhat depend upon to help maintain transparency in the highest political office in the land…are becoming themselves transparent.
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