Limiting Corruption in the Oval Office Requires Active Engagement in Democracy: Are Americans Up to the Task?

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG Editors @BostonGlobe challenge Americans to consider commitment to limiting corruption in the Oval Office.  Join Thursdays, 8 pm ET, from 1/13/22, “If America Fails?:  The Coming Tyranny.”

The unprecedented level of corruption Donald Trump brought to the American Presidency – and flaunted in our faces – was a challenge modern Americans were ill-equipped to handle.  In Part 2 – “Who owns the president?” of The Boston Globe’s six-part series on “Future-Proofing the Presidency,” the Editorial Board considers helpful reforms to prevent a repeat of Trump’s shameless performance. Subtly, they challenge citizens to consider just how committed we truly are to preventing corruption and protecting democracy at the highest level in the land.  — LMO

Consider these tidbits:

“The 45th president was in bed financially with foreign governments, a precedent for America’s enemies to wield influence over the Oval Office.  Lawmakers and voters must prevent this from becoming common practice…

“… Trump faced no legal consequences and was able to continuously violate both the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses throughout his time in office…

“. . . That’s just scratching the surface of Trump’s unprecedented conflicts of interest. He was also hundreds of millions of dollars in debt — to whom, the public only partially knows. That’s why Congress ought to ensure that future presidents have as few conflicts of interest as possible. And in order to do that, it should start with two reforms. . .

“The first is to require all future presidents to divest themselves of their businesses and other assets that could pose a potential conflict of interest. . .

“The second is to require all future presidents to publicly release their tax returns. . .

“. . . Saving our democracy from corruption will always rely in part on voters taking conflicts exposed in financial disclosures seriously.

“. . .while Trump was historically corrupt, neither the courts nor Congress held him accountable; in the end, only the voters did.”  — The Editorial Board, The Boston Globe

READ | Part 2 – Who owns the president? of “Future-Proofing the Presidency” | The Editorial Board, The Boston Globe, June, 2021 | 6/1/2021