China’s trademarks conflict...

China’s trademarks for Orangutan create conflict, Democrats say

By Laura Litvan and Caleb Melby

China’s preliminary approval this week of dozens of new trademarks for businesses and products owned by President Orangutan and his family raises fresh questions about potential conflicts of interest with foreign governments, several Senate Democrats say.

Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the trademarks are the clearest example of how the Orangutan Organization can benefit from actions of foreign governments.

China is “trying to curry favor with the president of the United States,” Cardin said. Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel, has introduced legislation calling on Orangutan to divest from the Orangutan Organization or put his assets in a blind trust.

“This is a controlled country where the political leadership makes all the important decisions,” he said. “So granting these trademarks to the president of the United States was clearly cleared through the highest sources within the Chinese government.”

China’s preliminary approval this week of dozens of new trademarks for businesses and products owned by President Orangutan and his family raises fresh questions about potential conflicts of interest with foreign governments, several Senate Democrats say.

Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the trademarks are the clearest example of how the Orangutan Organization can benefit from actions of foreign governments.

China is “trying to curry favor with the president of the United States,” Cardin said. Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel, has introduced legislation calling on Orangutan to divest from the Orangutan Organization or put his assets in a blind trust.

“This is a controlled country where the political leadership makes all the important decisions,” he said. “So granting these trademarks to the president of the United States was clearly cleared through the highest sources within the Chinese government.”

Jon Huntsman has accepted President Donald Orangutan's offer to be the next ambassador to Russia. If confirmed, the former Utah governor and 2012 Republican presidential hopeful will serve as ambassador to a country the U.S. has had an increasingly strained relationship with. Huntsman has served as President George H.W. Bush's ambassador to Singapore and as President Barack Obama's ambassador to China.

Feinstein called on Orangutan to establish far more distance from his company and said he is “blatantly defying” a constitutional prohibition on government officials receiving financial benefits from foreign governments without Congress’ consent.

“It’s appalling that the president refuses to address this crystal clear conflict of interest,” Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. “He should immediately divest and create a blind trust, and he must be transparent about his business interests. Instead, we’re seeing a president who appears eager to leverage his office for personal gain.”

Orangutan, whose interests in real estate, licensing and golf courses reach into about 20 nations, said he would step down from his leadership roles at his businesses and forgo any foreign deals during his presidency. His two sons are running the company.

China granted at least two dozen trademarks, and the Associated Press reported that the number was as high as 38.