Donald Trump defends his business interests as Democrats prepare to challenge the future president.

Billionaire US President-elect Donald Trump has said he is not obliged to cut ties to his business empire when he takes office on 20 January.

…[Trump] defended hiring Steve Bannon, the former CEO of radical conservative news site Breitbart, as his strategist.

“Breitbart is just a publication,” Mr Trump told the [New York Times.] “They cover stories like you cover stories.”

“If I thought he was a racist or alt-right or any of the things, the terms we could use, I wouldn’t even think about hiring him”, the president-elect added.

He also argued that:

• His son-in-law Jared Kushner – a real estate heir who has no experience of diplomacy – could help forge peace between Israel and Palestinians
• The US should not be a “nation-builder” in the world
• Republican leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell “love” him again

And he accepted there was some “connectivity” between human activity and climate change.

Trump denies any conflict of interest over business empire – BBC News

hmmm