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ELECTIONS 2016
Donald Trump 2016 Presidential Campaign

Trump calls to ‘drain the swamp’ of Washington

Trevor Hughes
USA TODAY
Donald Trump held a rally in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Oct. 18, 2016, saying: “Either we win this election or we lose this country."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed a package of ethics reforms he said would "drain the swamp" of Washington, D.C., including strict limitations on lobbying and a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on Congress.

Trump said the proposals, some of which would have to be approved by Congress and others by the American public, would restore faith in what he repeatedly called a rigged system that rewards the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of the common man. Speaking to a rowdy crowd estimated by police at 1,500, Trump said Hillary Clinton has benefited time and time again from system where lobbyists move between government, political campaigns and the private sector.

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“Either we win this election or we lose this country,” Trump said. “Under a Trump administration, it’s going to be America First.”

Speaking for the second time in two days about his ethics plan, Trump called for:

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• A constitutional amendment imposing term limits on members of Congress
• A ban on federal employees lobbying the government for five years
• A ban on members of Congress lobbying for five years
• Tighter rules about what constitutes a lobbyist, instead of letting people call themselves consultants
• Campaign finance reform limiting what foreign companies can raise for American political candidates
• A ban on senior government officials lobbying for foreign governments

“We have to give new voices a chance … so we can have a government that works again and can function properly …” Trump said.

The rest of Trump’s speech focused on the topics his supporters love to hear about: respect for the rule of law, building a wall along the Mexican border, stricter rules on immigration and a stronger military. He also reiterated recent claims that the election is “rigged” against him, urged his supporters to get their news from the Internet and not the mainstream media, and said he no longer believes polls showing he’s trailing Clinton.

Government watchdogs say Trump’s lobbying proposals fall short because they apply to lawmakers and subordinates and do little address the novel ethics issues his own presidency would pose.

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Trump, for instance, has not released his tax returns, bucking a four-decade tradition for presidential candidates. He has cited an ongoing IRS audit for his refusal to do so. He’s also said he would avoid conflicts of interest with his branding and real-estate empire by having his children run the company during his time in the White House.

Previous presidents have gone further, often divesting themselves of their outside business interests, putting their investments in a blind trust in which a third-party manages their assets or stashing their money in broadly diverse funds.

“If he’s going to be credible, he needs to focus on the issues with respect to himself,” said Richard Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer in President George W. Bush’s White House. “These proposals, when they say nothing about the man at the top, will accomplish very little,” he added. “They are as good as the Enron Code of Ethics, which can be had for a song on eBay.”

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