The Hill (VIDEO): Trump’s DC hotel is ‘ground zero for the swamp,’ says government watchdog

Chief of strategy for the government watchdog group Common Cause said Friday that Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital has become ground zero for “the swamp.”

“Look at the Trump Hotel right here in Washington, D.C., smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House — one block away, by the way, from the FBI’s headquarters,” Stephen Spaulding told Hill.TV co-hosts Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”

“That Trump Hotel has, I think, really become ground zero for the swamp,” he said. “You have Republican fundraisers taking place there, foreign governments holding their fundraisers there.”

“That is a clear, physical conflict of interest,” Spaulding added.

The comments follow a release of documents from House Democrats suggesting President Trump was involved in canceling plans to sell the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., which is located near the Trump International Hotel. Critics say the president wanted to prevent potential development on property that could compete with his hotel.

Spaulding called on Trump to divest from all of his businesses.

“That’s a basic ethical standard,” he said. “If you’re going to be president of the United States, you need to divest from any investments that may pose a conflict of interest. And you should put those assets in a bind trust so that there aren’t conflicts of interest.”

— Julia Manchester