Rubio cornered over Trump’s business dealings with foreign governments

15 January

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) — Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of State — was corned by his colleague Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) during his confirmation hearing Wednesday over the Florida lawmaker's refusal to answer questions about the incoming president's ongoing business dealings with foreign governments, according to Mediaite.

Murphy said:

It used to be that, you know, somebody with these big financial business interests would come into government and take actions like setting up a blind trust or divestment in order to make sure there was no connection between their personal financial interests and the business they were conducting in government.

But President Trump has just done the opposite right over the last eight years while he was in office. And since he’s been out of office, he and his family have become more deeply dependent on revenue from governments in the Middle East during his last presidency. Middle East interest sent about $10 million to Trump properties after he left office.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was his primary Middle East envoy, was handed $2 billion in investment by the Saudis, even though a Saudi investment board said the investment was a bad business decision. That investment actually comes up for renewal in 2026, giving the Saudis massive leverage over the Trump family. And then to make matters worse, right after the election, the Trump Organization said that in this term, the president elect’s second term, it would drop its previous prohibition on doing new deals in the Middle East with private foreign companies aligned with foreign governments.

So the Trump Organization is going to be signing new business deals in the Middle East with private companies that have connections to foreign governments. At the very moment that you are going to be conducting sensitive diplomacy in these countries. That’s just extraordinary. Never before in the history of this country has a president been, I mean, literally receiving cash from foreign governments and from foreign companies that are backed by foreign governments in the middle of their term. If you or I had done this as senators, we would be in violation of Senate ethics rule rules. That’s not permitted on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Murphy then asked, “And so I guess my question to you is a pretty simple one. Do you see how this fundamentally compromises your diplomatic efforts? Do you have an issue or you raise an issue with the president about his growing financial connection with the governments that you’re going to be negotiating with?”

Rubio replied:

Well, first of all, I am neither authorized nor in any position to give you sort of any insights into any of these arrangements you’ve pointed out. You know, you mentioned Jared Kushner as an example. He’s a private citizen, happens to be a Floridian. I don’t know what, if any, engagement he has in the work that’s going on now.

I can tell you what I know. Obviously, I’m not in the State Department yet, but I can tell you, as an example, the president’s envoy to that region who was charged, Steve Witkoff, who was charged with being an envoy towards reaching an accommodation between the Israelis and the Saudis, has been working cooperatively and together with the Biden administration.

And in fact, I dare to say that all involved deserve credit for the ceasefire that the chairman’s just announced. But Steve, of course, being a critical component of it and has been involved in it from day one, I think the broader consideration about whether we want to see a Saudi-Israeli mutual recognition and relationship would be one of the most historic developments in the history of the region. For all the factors we’ve discussed here today, it would be and one of the impediments to it has been this conflict and the ongoing conflict and the lack of a cease-fire. I also think it’s going to be important for the Saudis and others to be participants in post-conflict stabilization efforts in Gaza and beyond.

So all I can tell you is that what I’ve said from the very beginning, from the opening statement, and that is our foreign policy is going to be driven, as the president’s made abundantly clear by whether some action makes it matter is in the interest of that of the United States and our national security. And that’s what it’s going to be driven by, and that’s how all these policies should be judged by. And that’s certainly the job that I believe I’ve been tasked with executing on.

The Connecticut lawmaker then said, "Well, let me then simply ask you this question. Do you believe that the president should refrain from doing new business deals with Middle East governments during his term in office?"

Rubio replied:

My understanding, again, I’m speaking out of turn, but the president doesn’t manage that company. His family members do. And they have a right to be in the business. I mean, that’s the business that they’re in. They’re in the real estate business. They’ve been for a very long time, both domestically and abroad. They have properties in multiple countries. So at the end of the day, I don’t know.

His family is entitled to continue to operate their business. The fundamental question is not whether his family’s involved in business. The fundamental question is whether that is in any way impacting the conduct of our foreign policy in a way that’s counter to our national interest.

And the President’s made abundantly clear that every decision he makes and every decision we are to make at the State Department should be driven by whether or not it serves the nation, the core national interests of the United States. And that’s how I hope our policies will be judged by not what business his family’s conducting while the president. Is here in Washington working not on this business, but from the Oval Office.

Murphy agreed with Rubio setting a standard that all foreign policy must first be in the national interest, but added that he remains concerned whether or not that will be the case as Trump’s family business interests remain tied to both the president and foreign countries.

Watch Mediaite's video below or at this link.

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