Story highlights
The criticism follows reports Tuesday that Ivanka Trump secured two patents in China for her clothing line
Sarbanes' comments come as Democrats have kept up the pressure on the Trump family
A top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee blasted the family of President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying that the approval in China of patents for Ivanka Trump set a new bar for ethical conflicts.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Trump offers something else that’s even more outrageous and even more troubling,” said Rep. John Sarbanes in an interview with CNN. “They set a new standard of ethical blindness.”
The comment follows reports Tuesday that Ivanka Trump secured two patents in China for her clothing line following a dinner meeting with China President Xi Jinping. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment and has not yet received a response.
Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat, also said he would like to see Erik Prince – the top Republican financier and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos – testify before Congress about any interactions with Russians.
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Sarbanes’ comments come as Democrats have kept up the pressure on the Trump family to release more information about their global financial ties. Sarbanes noted Tuesday – tax filing day this year – that Trump’s tax returns would answer almost all of those questions.
“We don’t know what the potential of that is because there is so little transparency … this thing with Ivanka, you can kind of view it as a tip of the iceberg,” he said.
Democrats in Congress have had little success finding support for measures targeting Trump administration records and transparency, but a growing number of House Republicans have been joining calls for Trump to release his tax returns amid sustained town hall protests.
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