Trump Backs Pipeline, Memo Says

President-elect Donald Trump supports completion of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline in the Midwest, based on policy and not the billionaire businessman's investments in a partnership building the $3.8 billion pipeline, according to an aide's memo. Spokesman Bryan Lanza said in a memo this week to supporters that Trump's backing for the pipeline near a North Dakota Indian reservation "has nothing to do with his personal investments and everything to do with promoting policies that benefit all Americans." Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in response to an AP story last week that it is her understanding Trump recently sold his Energy Transfer stock, but she provided no details. Neither Hicks nor other Trump aides have responded to repeated requests for information since then. In a 17-page memo to campaign supporters and congressional staff, Trump's transition team says Trump "intends to cut the bureaucratic red tape put in place by the Obama administration that has prevented our country from diversifying our energy portfolio." The four-state Dakota Access pipeline is part of that strategy, the memo says. Then, in an apparent reference to criticism by congressional Democrats and environmental groups, the memo says those claiming that Trump's support for the project is related to his investments "are only attempting to distract from the fact that President-elect Trump has put forth serious policy proposals he plans to set in motion on Day One." While Trump's stake in the pipeline company is modest compared with his other assets, ethics experts say it's among dozens of potential conflicts that could be resolved by placing his investments in a blind trust. Trump said this week that he will soon announce plans to step back from his company while he is president...more