U.S. President Donald Trump owes tens of millions of dollars to the Bank of China. This should be a massive scandal, as it’s an astonishingly huge conflict of interest with China. I explain why, in a thread: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/24/trump-biden-china-debt-205475

First, the details. Trump owns 30 percent of the skyscraper 1290 Avenue of the Americas. In 2012, his real estate partner refinanced the loan, which included a $211 million from Bank of China, which matures in 2022.

Even for Trump, the hypocrisy stuns. The White House often criticize Hunter Biden’s relationship with the bank. But this is a much larger financial relationship – and it’s not about Trump’s sons. It's Trump himself.

And Beijing, which controls the Bank of China, has access to all that information.

Is this why Trump often praises Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping? Does this cause him to temper his policies or his public remarks? This raises so many questions.

In other words, while the Bank of China is a commercial lender, it also implements Party policy.

If Trump wins in 2020, what should happen to that loan? How can a sitting president owe tens of millions of dollars to a foreign government? It’s insane.

I study Beijing’s influence on America, and this is the most problematic conflict of interest I’ve seen. Astonishingly bad. (End)

What’s the problem with Bank of China? Well, it functions as an arm of the Chinese Communist Party. The Bank of China is a state-owned bank, controlled by China’s State Council, the country’s major administrative body, chaired by the Premier Li Keqiang.

The blackmail potential is astounding. Beijing has detailed access to Trump’s financial information. We always assumed that, via espionage. But to secure a $211 million loan, one must provide a huge amount of documentation.

Did Trump follow the law in applying for the loan back in 2012? Let’s assume he did. It’s not hard to imagine the Bank of China – again, an arm of the Chinese state – claiming Trump did otherwise, or leaking doctored information that seemingly proves Trump violated the law.