Washington, D.C. -On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will convene a forum for Members of Congress and the public to hear from top ethics experts across the political spectrum about the unprecedented conflicts of interest currently facing President-Elect Donald Trump and his incoming Administration.
WHEN: 1 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016
WHERE: HVC-215, U.S. Capitol
PANELISTS:
Ambassador Norm Eisen
Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute
Former Special Assistant and Special Counsel to President Barack Obama
Richard Painter
S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Former Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush
Stephen Gillers
Elihu Root Professor of Law
New York University School of Law
Cummings has invited Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz and other Republican Members to attend, writing:
“I have expressed my strong preference to conduct this review in a bipartisan manner, particularly since our Committee is charged with overseeing the presidential transition process, conflict of interest laws, and the White House. I continue to believe, however, that it would be in the best interests of Mr. Trump and our nation to address these conflicts of interest well before he is sworn into office in January."
Cummings has pressed repeatedly for an Oversight Committee review of Trump’s conflicts of interest. He first requested this review in a letter to Chaffetz on Nov. 14, 2016, writing: “Mr. Trump’s unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president."
After receiving no response, Cummings and all other Committee Democrats sent another letter urging a review as soon as possible, writing: “You have the authority to launch a Committee investigation, and we are calling on you to use that power now. You acted with unprecedented urgency to hold ‘emergency’ hearings and issue multiple unilateral subpoenas to investigate Secretary Clinton before the election. We ask that that you show the same sense of urgency now."
Chaffetz has stated that he will conduct no oversight of Trump’s finances until after he is sworn in, despite calls for an immediate review by the editorial board of his hometown paper, The Salt Lake Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and his fellow Republican Committee Members.
