Post-election, Trump closed companies tied to Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump shut down some of his companies in the days after the election, including four that appeared connected to a possible Saudi Arabia business venture, according to corporate registrations in Delaware.
News of the move comes days before Trump is expected to describe changes he is making to his businesses to avoid potential conflicts of interest as the U.S. president.
The Trump Organization’s general counsel, Alan Garten, described shutting down the four companies as routine “housecleaning,” and said there is no existing Trump business venture in Saudi Arabia. The four Saudi-related companies were among at least nine companies that Trump filed paperwork to dissolve or cancel since the election.
The recent dissolutions represent a fraction of Trump’s global network of companies — the breadth of which has raised conflict-of-interest concerns about whether Trump can balance being an international businessman while conducting the nation’s business abroad as president.