Donald Trump Overflows The Swamp, Lets Ivanka Sit In On Chat With Japanese Prime Minister (VIDEO, TWEETS)

By
Darrell Lucus
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Last night, Donald Trump had his first meeting as president-elect with a foreign leader–namely, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. While Abe says the meeting went well, in truth, Trump once again showed he lacks the judgment to be president. Why? He allowed his daughter, Ivanka, to sit in on the meeting.

Officially, no reporters were allowed to attend the meeting–not even from the press pool covering Trump. No notes were given to the press. However, handout photos from the Japanese government showed Ivanka attended the meeting along with her husband, Jared Kushner, and soon-to-be national security adviser Michael Flynn. Bloomberg News’ Jennifer Epstein posted the pictures to her Twitter feed.

A number of other reporters, such as CNN’s Ivan Watson, blasted out these pictures as well. However, some of them were deleted because of news outlets’ traditional wariness about relying on handout photos, as well as the ban on press access by the Trump team.

Traditionally, a president-elect makes the prime minister of the United Kingdom–in this case, Theresa May–his first foreign guest. However, Trump opted to invite Abe to Trump Tower on Thursday afternoon. The meeting lasted roughly 90 minutes, and vice president-elect Mike Pence joined in near the end of the meeting.

There’s no hard and fast rule requiring a president-elect to make a chat with the UK’s prime minister his first meeting with a foreign counterpart. However, the fact that Ivanka was there was problematic on several counts. For one thing, Ivanka does not have a security clearance–and according to The New York Times, neither she nor Kushner plan to seek one. BuzzFeed asked the Trump transition team if Ivanka has been on hand for other gatherings with potential cabinet members and world leaders; the transition team has yet to respond.

For another, Ivanka and her other siblings are slated to helm a “blind trust” that will run their father’s real estate empire, and her presence at the meeting adds to the growing concerns that Trump really intends to wall himself off from his businesses while in office. Additionally, Trump didn’t bring along any foreign service experts on Japan, and has no knowledge of Japanese protocol. Indeed, he hasn’t even met with the State Department yet.

Ivanka told “60 Minutes” earlier this week that she will have no role in her father’s administration. Watch here, via “Inside Edition.”

So what were you doing sitting in on that meeting, Ivanka? Are you trying to use your status as soon-to-be First Daughter for personal gain?

Not surprisingly, the condemnation has come in fast and hard.

https://twitter.com/WineGumLady/status/799612466204291073

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/799438590661038089

Ivanka’s presence also raised eyebrows in Japan as well. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a professor of International Relations at the University of Niigata Prefecture, said it was “quite unusual” for a relative to sit in on a meeting between two major world leaders, even if it was just an informal chat.

“Unusual” is being kind to it. Then again, that’s to be expected from a guy who taps a man who probably wouldn’t get a security clearance under normal conditions as his senior adviser. Sounds like Trump has no intention of draining the swamp. He’s going to overflow it.

(featured image courtesy Japanese Cabinet Public Relations Office via Jennifer Epstein’s Twitter)

Darrell Lucus
Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.

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