Dems question Trumps conflict of interest in housing complex

Two House Democrats are looking into whether President Trump has a conflict of interest because of his stake in the largest federally subsidized housing complex in the United States.

Mr. Trump has a four-percent stake in Starrett City, an affordable housing complex located in Brooklyn. The president could make millions from that stake, depending on decisions made by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), currently headed by Ben Carson, related to the complex.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland, who is also the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, whose district includes the complex, sent a letter on Friday requesting multiple documents relating to the president's stake in and communications with Starrett City. Mr. Trump's financial hold on the complex is valued at up to $25 million, according to his financial disclosures.

"Many real estate companies receive government subsidies to support affordable housing but unique conflicts exist with regard to Starrett City because the President is on both sides of the negotiation—he oversees the government entity providing taxpayer funds and he pockets some of that money himself," Cummings and Jeffries wrote in the 10-page letter addressed to Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump Organization's CFO, Allen H. Weisselberg, who oversees a trust holding the president's business assets.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/dems-question-trump%e2%80%99s-conflict-of-interest-in-housing-complex/ar-BBEax15?ocid=edgsp