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Trump Promises Announcement on ‘Leaving’ His Business

Bedeviled in recent weeks about constitutional conflicts, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted early Wednesday that he will hold a press conference with his children to discuss his business.

WASHINGTON (CN) – Bedeviled in recent weeks about constitutional conflicts, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted early Wednesday that he will hold a press conference with his children to discuss his business.

Slated for Dec. 15 in New York City, the conference will be the first Trump has held since the election. "I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country," one tweet this morning says.

Trump had previously promised to put his business in a “blind trust” managed by his children, but constitutional experts have voiced concern that that this would not clear him under the emoluments clause, a rule that bars office holders from receiving economic benefits from foreign governments.

Wednesday’s Twitter posts from the president-elect did not provide any specifics about how Trump will separate himself from his business interests.

Earlier this week, 17 Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the committee's chairman, to look into Trump's financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest.

"The scope of Mr. Trump's conflicts of interest around the world is unprecedented," their Nov. 28 letter says. "Over the past two weeks, new revelations have raised serious concerns about the intermingling of Mr. Trump's businesses and his responsibilities as president."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, R-Md., asked Chaffetz two weeks ago for a congressional probe of Trump's possible conflicts of interest.

In addition to mention of his business empire Wednesday morning, the president-elect tweeted out that the Somali refugee responsible for the Ohio State University attack should not have been in the country.

"ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country," Trump wrote.

The tweet could be a signal that Trump intends to shut down the U.S. refugee-resettlement program to people from Muslim-majority or conflict-ridden countries.

Trump could halt the refugee program entirely, said Muzzafar Chishti with the Migration Policy Institute.

"That's one area where he needs the least cooperation from Congress," Chishti said in a phone interview. "He has the most leeway on that. That he could do unilaterally."

Categories / Business, Government, Politics

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