More ethical concerns: Foreign real estate projects will likely be high priority for Trump post-presidency

After President Donald Trump leaves the White House on January 20, 2021, he will be free to overtly and openly take part in the activities of the Trump Organization — and that includes foreign real estate deals.

Politico's Anita Kumar reports that the Trump Organization is expected to look into projects in India, Brazil, Turkey, Colombia and other countries. And some politicians on Capitol Hill believe that Trump's non-U.S. projects could raise ethical concerns.

Vanity Fair's Eric Lutz explains, "Jimmy Carter had his peanut farm. The Bush family had its oil interests. But there was really no precedent for the shady and complex web of business interests Donald Trump brought into the White House with him four years ago. Not only did he never untangle himself from his personal interests — over the course of four tumultuous years, he actively blurred the line between the personal, professional and political until there was no distinguishing between the three. If his presidency was unprecedented, so, too, will his post-presidency."

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who is on the House Oversight Committee, told Politico, "There are some boundaries that didn't exist before. And I have no doubt that he will blow past those boundaries and not respect any of them." And Rep. Jamie Raskin, another Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told Politico, "The president does not feel bound by actual legal prohibitions, much less merely ethical or moral ones. We can expect that he will continue to operate his business in conjunction with foreign businesses and governments."

Lutz notes that in 2019, the president's son, GOP activist Donald Trump, Jr., told the Indian website Mint that he expects India to be a high priority for the Trump Organization. Trump, Jr. told Mint, "After politics, we would certainly look at India and other markets."

Politico also spoke to Barbara Res, a former executive in the Trump Organization and author of the book "Tower of Lies: What My 18 Years of Working With Donald Trump Reveals About Him."

Res told Politico, "He'll do what he does. He'll license his name, and he will do Trump Towers in different cities — Moscow, Seoul, who knows? It's going to generate more money for him. There are two things that make him run: ego and money."