Bombastic, vain and slippery, Mr. Trump played the same small-screen character he has offered the viewing public for years. ?”On whether he would maintain sanctions on Russia, for its hacking of the presidential election: “If Putin likes Donald Trump, guess what, folks? By not divesting his businesses, Mr. Trump invites corruption by signaling that corporations and foreign actors have many ways to curry favor with him and his administration through his family. It, like the rest of Mr. Trump’s plan, ignores what government ethics officials told Mr. Trump’s lawyers: The only way to avoid conflict-of-interest charges is to sell off his businesses and put the proceeds into a blind trust. Mr. Trump closed the news conference with his best “Celebrity Apprentice” scowl.

Source: New York Times January 12, 2017 02:07 UTC