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Did Trump ask Argentina's president for a business favor during their post-election call?
Update 1:50 p.m.: A spokesman for Argentine President Mauricio Macri denied that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump asked for a business favor during a post-election call. "Trump and President Macri only spoke about maintaining the institutional relationship between the two countries," the spokesman told BuzzFeed News. "They then recalled their personal relationship. They never spoke of the tower." A Trump spokesman also denied the story. Our original post is below.
When Argentine President Mauricio Macri called President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory, Trump reportedly brought up an office building he wants to build in Buenos Aires. The project has been bogged down for years by "complications tied to financing, importation of building materials, and various permitting requirements," Talking Points Memo reported, and Trump allegedly attempted to get Macri to authorize the building's construction. "[I]t wasn't just a geopolitical chat," said Argentine journalist Jorge Lanta, per Argentine daily newspaper La Nacion.
Almost immediately, Trump has come under fire for the ethical issues of his alleged request. The Atlantic's David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, argued that if the reports are true, Trump's mixing of business and politics could be grounds for impeachment. Frum specifically referenced James Madison's argument in favor of impeachment at the Constitutional Convention in 1787:
Trump's partner on the Argentina project, Felipe Yaryura, was reportedly present at his celebration on election night.