This might be the worst defense of Trump's potential conflicts of interest yet


The Republican National Committee has got a head-scratcher of a response to those accusing Donald Trump and his family of facing potential conflicts of interest. Sean Spicer, the spokesman for the Republican National Committee, told CNN's Kate Bolduan on Wednesday that you simply have to "tell everyone, here's what's going on, here's the process, here are the people that are playing a role" to avoid such conflicts.
Trump has faced criticism over his as-yet refusal to make a clean break from his business, and the potential conflicts of interest that could arise from running both the country and the family real estate empire; he has said he would transfer his business to his children via a "blind trust," but his children have also been seen sitting in on key transition meetings. "That's being transparent," Spicer explained. "Conflicts of interest arise when you're not — when you're sneaky about it, when you're shady about it, when you're not transparent about it."
Oddly enough, that part of the definition doesn't make the cut for Dictionary.com, which defines a conflict of interest simply as "the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from his or her official actions or influence" — no sneakiness required.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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