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House Oversight chair to begin Trump administration re-investigating Hillary Clinton

The committee’s ranking member wants an inquiry into Trump’s potential conflicts of interest due to his personal finances.

In this July 7, 2016 file photo, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, right, confers with the committee’s ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. on Capitol Hill in Washington. CREDIT: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
In this July 7, 2016 file photo, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, right, confers with the committee’s ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. on Capitol Hill in Washington. CREDIT: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The House Government and Oversight Committee’s mission statement says its goal is to “ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all its agencies.”

The highest-ranking Democrat on the panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), would like the committee to live up to its maxim, regardless of party. That’s why Cummings thinks it should investigate Donald Trump’s potential financial conflicts of interest following his election last week.

In a letter to the chair of the committee, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Cummings said the body should immediately conduct a review of Trump’s “vast financial entanglements,” noting that Trump has so far refused to disclose his tax returns — both unprecedented for an American president.

“Mr. Trump’s unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president,” Cummings wrote.

Trump would be the country’s first self-proclaimed billionaire president and has business interests around the world, tied deeply to the reality television star’s personal brand.

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It’s unclear whether Chaffetz will take Cummings up on his suggestion. But the committee he chairs does still have plans to investigate Clinton over her use of emails during her tenure as Secretary of State.

“It would be totally remiss of us to dismiss [the email investigation] because she’s not going to be president,” Chaffetz told the Washington Post last week.

In his letter, Cummings references laws that seek to prevent executive branch staff from taking part in decisions that could help or hurt their personal finances — laws that do not apply to the president or vice president. As ThinkProgress reported in June, Trump could award government contracts to businesses in which he has investments, he could ask the IRS to stop auditing rich billionaires, he could repeal environmental regulations his businesses have fought, he could alter banking rules to benefit his own interests.

Past presidents have sought to insulate themselves from their own potential conflicts of interest by using mechanisms like blind trusts for their assets. Trump confirmed last week that he would be handing over control of his businesses to his children, who are also taking part in Trump’s presidential transition — another conflict of interest. Noting this development, Cummings said this was “certainly not a ‘blind trust.’”

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The committee’s mission statement says its goal is to “identify problems, shine light on the situation, and propose reforms to prevent abuses from being repeated.”

Under Chaffetz, the House Oversight Committee has looked into alleged incidents of conflicts of interest in the Obama administration, including a senior executive at the Department of Education, an executive with the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and a former Energy Department official.

They have plans for more, including alleged conflicts of interests for deputy directors of the FBI and what Chaffetz has alleged to be a “pay-to-play” scheme between Sec. Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. Chaffetz even pressed current Secretary of State John Kerry on possible ties of his agency to the Clinton Foundation in August.

Chaffetz has a complex relationship with Trump. He withdrew his endorsement of the GOP nominee after a video came to light that included comments Trump made ten years ago bragging about sexual assaulting women. Soon before Election Day, Chaffetz said he would vote for Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, though he did not consider it an endorsement of the New York Republican.

Now, he says he thinks they can work together.

“I am optimistic that a Trump administration would actually be cooperative,” Chaffetz told the AP after last week’s election. “The Obama administration has given us the stiff arm every single step of the way. I think a new administration would actually work with us to quickly get to the truth, learn what we need to learn and then fix it.”

It remains to be seen whether the incoming Trump administration will embrace transparency and work openly with House investigators on the issues they do decide to pursue with regard to a White House controlled by a member of the same party.

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“Now that Republicans control the White House and Congress, it is incumbent on you and other Republicans to conduct robust oversight over Mr. Trump — not for partisan reasons, but to ensure that our government operates effectively and efficiently and combats even the perception of corruption or abuse,” Cummings concluded in his letter.