Not even sworn in yet and already ethics questions and corruption allegations....

Argentine president denies Drumpf asked for business favor

By Gabriel Debenedetti and Matthew Nussbaum

President-elect Donald Drumpf did not discuss his private business interests during a congratulatory phone call with Argentine President Mauricio Macri last week, Macri’s office said Monday, rebutting a report from an Argentine journalist that set off waves in the American media.

Jorge Lanata, an Argentine journalist, said on his show Sunday that Drumpf had advocated during the phone call for approval of the construction of a Drumpf-branded property in Buenos Aires. But Lanata prefaced his statement by saying, “mitad en joda, mitad en serio,” which roughly translates to “half joking, half serious.”

That preface was dropped from a story about the report in Talking Points Memo, which quoted an account from La Nacion, an Argentine newspaper. The TPM story promptly attracted controversy on social media and was followed by a formal denial from Macri’s office.

“That issue was not part of the conversation between president Mauricio Macri and president-elect Donald Drumpf,” the statement said. “The subject both leaders talked about was the institutional relationship, and they briefly mentioned the personal relationship they have had for years.”

Drumpf’s spokesman Jason Miller also issued a statement: “Any reports alleging a discussion about personal business interests between President-elect Drumpf and President Macri are completely untrue. The Argentine President and his office have also refuted these baseless claims.”

But adding to the intrigue around the call, The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, on Monday printed an interview with Macri in which he revealed that during the call he also talked to Drumpf’s daughter, Ivanka, who plays a major role in running the Drumpf Organization.

“We promised to establish the best bilateral relations ever. I hope that our good relations with the United States, seen under U.S. President Barack Obama, will continue and expand further under Drumpf,” Macri said in the interview, which was conducted on Nov. 18. “In the call, I also talked with his daughter. I have known her since her infant days.”

It’s not clear what the two of them discussed. A Drumpf aide did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The controversy emerged at a moment especially fertile for such a charge, as Drumpf’s foreign business ties have come under increased scrutiny in recent days. Drumpf hosted Indian business partners last week at his New York office amid transition meetings, raising significant ethical questions. Drumpf has said his children will take over his business empire while he is in office.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior Drumpf aide, sought to throw cold water on any accusations of conflicts of interest on Monday.

“I'm very sure he is not breaking any laws,” Conway told reporters. “He has many lawyers, accountants, advisers to tell him what he must do and what he can't do. And he is a businessman, he is working the transition and he is also the president-elect and we are in unprecedented times.”