It is vital that the issue of President-elect Donald Trump's conflicts of interest be raised in the confirmation hearing this week for Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general and that his nomination be rejected "unless he makes clear that he will thoroughly and independently investigate [the issue] and commits to pursuing any violations of law that are uncovered," Rep. Jerrold Nadler wrote in The Hill on Monday.
He said it is critical that the Department of Justice maintain complete independence in this matter and is willing to attack any such corruption.
Nadler said Sessions, nominated as the country's top law enforcement officer, must be pressed on his intent to enforce laws and the need to protect the integrity of public institutions, because Trump's "continued refusal to completely disclose, much less divest his assets and place them in a blind trust, means that nearly every official and unofficial action he or his family takes will be tainted with suspicion," and thus "we cannot be certain that American interests are safe from subjugation or subversion."
Nadler said he sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley and the other members of the committee urging them to make sure these questions are raised and reject his nomination if his responses do not satisfy their concerns.
Nadler wrote in the Hill that while Trump has taken some steps to resolve certain conflicts, "these half-measures cannot solve the fundamental conflict posed by his continued ownership interest in his businesses or his children's management of those businesses" and that "Ethics experts from both sides of the political aisle agree that without complete disclosure and divestiture, Trump's administration will be ethically compromised from the start."
The congressman said that Sessions himself is eliminating his own conflicts of interests and therefore should demand a similar degree of accountability from the president.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.