Democrats push bill to keep Trump from presidenting for personal profit

Congressional Republicans will never force Donald Trump to get rid of his opportunities to profit from the presidency by putting his money into a blind trust. But Democrats aren’t just letting the GOP slide. They’re calling attention to how corrupt Trump is—while trying to get Republicans on the record saying it’s okay for him to use his position for personal profit:

[Sen. Elizabeth Warren] — backed by nearly 30 House and Senate Democrats — will introduce legislation Monday that would require Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence to divest any financial assets that pose a conflict of interest and place the money into a blind trust.  

“The American people deserve to know that the President of the United States is working to do what’s best for the country — not using his office to do what’s best for himself and his businesses,” Warren said. [...]

The legislation would make it the "sense of Congress" that any violation by Trump of conflict of interest or ethics rules applying to executive branch employees would be a "high crime or misdemeanor." 

There are going to be a lot of things Republicans will do the wrong thing on—and it’s worth making them actively do the wrong thing, forcing them to commit sins of commission rather than letting them get away with sins of omission.

When Trump goes the almost inevitable 10 steps too far in using the presidency to line his own pockets rather than to serve the country, Democrats will have shown the way to the policy that would have stopped him. And Republicans will have blocked it, showing their own contempt for the idea of public service and good governing. Some victories take years, but you don’t win if you don’t fight.