(From Associated Press)
(WASHINGTON) President-elect Donald Trump is again insisting that it will be “simple” to disentangle himself from his extensive international business interests.
Trump tells reporters during a brief appearance in his Trump Tower lobby that he plans to address the topic at a press conference planned for Wednesday.
“All I can say is it’s very simple, very easy,” he insists.
Trump has pledged to step away from his family-owned international real estate business before taking office Jan. 20.
But he continues to own or control some 500 companies that make up the Trump Organization.
The president-elect says he’ll also discuss his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s planned role in his administration at the event Wednesday.
Kushner, who has been one of Trump’s top counselors, will continue in that role in White House, according to two people Monday who were briefed on the decision but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, must clear a series of hurdles before he takes any post in Washington.
He will need to argue that a federal anti-nepotism law that bar officials from appointing relatives to government positions does not apply to him. He’ll also need to eliminate potential conflicts of interest between his family’s multi-billion dollar real estate empire and his government duties.
The announcement of Kushner’s post is expected later this week.
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