随着本周共和党全国代表大会的召开，总统先生唐纳德·特朗普为一场打破常规的政治事件搭建了舞台，这场政治事件将白宫变成了他竞选的背景，在他推翻先例的过程中引发了道德问题。
总统将于周四晚上在白宫南草坪发表他的提名接受演讲，在仍在肆虐的冠状病毒大流行中，第一夫人梅兰妮·特朗普周二晚上，她将在历史悠久、刚刚翻修过的玫瑰园向部分虚拟的大会发表演讲。
草坪上搭建了一个照明充足的大舞台，同时第一夫人监督了花园的装修，正好赶上了她的演讲。
除此之外，还有其他白宫官员的参与，尤其是总统的女儿和高级顾问伊万卡·特朗普将于周四晚上介绍总统的奥巴马提出了一系列伦理问题。
2020年8月24日，舞台和灯光在白宫南草坪搭建。
圣路易斯华盛顿大学法学院教授、伦理律师凯瑟琳克拉克(Kathleen Clark)在接受美国广播公司(ABC)新闻采访时表示，该会议相当于“为期四天的不道德行为的盛宴。”
克拉克说，这是特朗普总统“为党派目的利用白宫背景”的不道德行为的“新水平”
克拉克在接受美国广播公司(ABC News)采访时表示:“在其他总统以及他们如何处理自己的问题上，这是前所未有的，但对特朗普总统来说，这并不是前所未有的，因为他一再表明，他利用政府权力为自己的政治和个人利益服务，而这正是他在这里所做的，因此这实际上与他的记录是一致的。”
有具体的法律问题，因为它与哈奇法案有关，该法案禁止联邦雇员利用他们的官方权力影响选举。虽然总统和副总统在很大程度上不受法律约束，但它确实适用于那些在白宫工作的人——包括总统的女儿伊万卡，她是总统的顾问。
白宫表示，她将以“个人身份”发表讲话虽然克拉克说这是允许的，但特朗普说的话和她演讲的实际位置将至关重要。
“她必须在外面，她不能援引联邦权力。她必须被介绍为总统的女儿，而不是总统的顾问，她需要谈论她的父亲，而不是她的老板。”
2020年8月24日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普站在舞台上，参观北卡罗来纳州夏洛特的共和党全国委员会大会会场。
克拉克解释说，《哈奇法案》是以这样一种方式写成的，即把被禁止的活动限定在联邦建筑的范围内。
“当国会通过这些条款时，他们希望确保联邦工作场所没有党派政治活动，他们使用的语言指的是联邦雇员居住的房间或建筑物。现在一些联邦雇员在外面履行他们的职责。但是《孵化法》不适用于这种情况。”
她说:“如果人们想知道它为什么在外面，也许是因为COVID，但也可能是因为哈奇法案。”
部长迈克·庞贝也将发表演讲，这将使他成为第一位在任的国务卿，在现代政党的政治会议上发表演讲。预计庞贝将于周一在耶路撒冷进行正式外交访问时录下他的讲话;国务院表示，他将以“个人”身份发言。
白宫办公厅主任马克·梅多斯(Mark Meadows)周一为总统在白宫发表大会讲话的决定进行了辩护，称美国正处于抗击冠状病毒大流行的“前所未有的时期”，并指出富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福总统在第二次世界大战期间走在了他的前面。
他淡化了人们对白宫发表政治演讲的不当行为的担忧，部分原因是他指出演讲是在室外进行的，而不是在室内。
“我没有看到它的混合物。正如你所知道的，它实际上来自白宫的草坪。”“因此，这并不像许多年前富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福在椭圆形办公室发表的演说那样。”
梅多斯明确表示，地点的选择不是出于方便，并指出总统愿意旅行，但他表示，背景与总统希望向选民传达的信息相吻合。
他说:“不，这不是为了方便。”“我认为，这是为了让大多数人了解美国总统，并听取他的意见，了解他将如何确保未来四年在过去四年的基础上继续向前发展。”
2020年8月24日，在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特市举行的2020年共和党全国代表大会上，农业部长桑尼·濮培德和参谋长马克·梅多斯聆听唐纳德·特朗普总统的讲话。
普林斯顿大学历史和公共事务教授朱利安·泽利泽说，虽然总统很难完全脱离政治，比如在椭圆形办公室演讲中推动立法，但在党内大会上利用白宫作为“道具”在最近是前所未有的。
泽利泽在接受美国广播公司采访时表示:“政治和执政之间仍有界限，椭圆形办公室和白宫是一个面向全国的公共网站，并不意味着是一个政治背景。”“仅仅把它作为大会演讲的主要场所，对特朗普总统来说似乎意义重大——你只需拆掉所有的护栏。”
特朗普和副总统迈克·彭斯经常利用在白宫和全国各地的公务旅行和活动，攻击民主党人，发表露骨的政治演讲，甚至播放他们在竞选集会上使用的音乐。
尽管公共卫生官员警告称，冠状病毒大流行期间的此类集会可能会传播病毒，但特朗普坚持在活动中安排现场人群，这也引发了人们对本周白宫事件的担忧。
白宫拒绝评论正在采取什么预防措施来保护与会者免受新冠肺炎袭击，或者白宫工作人员是否参与了任何措施。通常，那些与总统和副总统密切接触的人，包括高级职员和白宫访客，都会接受病毒的快速诊断测试。
共和党全国委员会和总统连任竞选团队没有回应关于冠状病毒相关预防措施的评论请求。
尽管高级公共卫生官员和白宫本身都正式鼓励美国人保持社交距离，避免大型集会，但总统本人却回避了这一建议——有时还会回避地方法规——他在拥挤的竞选集会上讲话，几乎从不戴口罩，并蔑视采取更谨慎态度的州长。
上周，梅多斯向记者解释说，特朗普受益于面对面的听众，因为“他确实从其他人那里获得能量”，他希望本周白宫的一群人能够提供与总统“来回的互动”。
2020年8月24日，在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特的共和党全国委员会大会现场，当特朗普总统在台上讲话时，人们在倾听。
事实上，周一，总统在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特的共和党全国代表大会有限的现场进行了一次未经宣布的停留，在那里他在室内对一群代表们说了将近一个小时的话。
当天晚些时候，特朗普前往北卡罗莱纳州的米尔斯河(Mills River)，表面上是参加一个关于在大流行期间为美国人提供食物的官方活动，这是他访问这个政治战场州的动力。
事实上，他在这次由纳税人出资的活动中，用他的大部分言论来反对他的民主党对手、前副总统乔·拜登。
总统谴责民主党州长，他声称，在没有证据的情况下，他们保留了与冠状病毒相关的限制，以抑制经济，并在政治上伤害他，包括北卡罗来纳的民主党州长罗伊·库珀，他支持的限制最终阻止了大规模，亲自共和党大会的发生。
他说:“所有的民主党人，他们想尽可能长时间地关闭它——直到选举，然后他们会打开它，”他没有提供任何事实依据的断言，他以前已经作出了。
拜登和公共卫生专家强调了特朗普亲自竞选的风险。
拜登在周五的一次采访中说:“看看当人们死去的时候会发生什么——他和他的事件发生了什么。”独家采访美国广播公司“今夜世界新闻”主播大卫·穆尔。“人们聚在一起。他们不戴面具。他们最终得到了COVID。他们最终会死去。”
Trump steamrolls norms with White House convention speech, raising ethics concerns
As the Republican National Convention gets underway this week, PresidentDonald Trumphas set the stage for a norms-busting political event that has transformed the White House into a backdrop for his campaign, raising ethical questions as he steamrolls over precedent.
The president is set to deliver his nomination acceptance speech from the South Lawn of the White House Thursday evening complete with an audience -- amid the still raging coronavirus pandemic -- while first ladyMelania Trumpwill deliver her address to the partially-virtual convention from the historic and freshly-renovated Rose Garden on Tuesday night.
A large stage with extensive lighting has been set up on the lawn, while the first lady oversaw a renovation of the garden -- completed just in time for her speech.
Beyond that, the participation of other White House officials and most notably the president’s daughter and senior adviserIvanka Trump, who is set to introduce the president Thursday night, has raised a host of ethical questions.
Staging and lighting is set up on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 24, 2020.
Kathleen Clark, an ethics lawyer and professor at Washington University Law School in St Louis, said in an interview with ABC News that the convention amounts to a “four-day extravaganza of unethical conduct.”
It’s a “new level” of unethical conduct by President Trump, Clark said, in “exploiting the backdrop of the White House for partisan purposes.”
“It is unprecedented in the context of other presidents and how they have handled themselves but it is not unprecedented when it comes to President Trump because he has repeatedly shown he uses government power for his own political personal benefit and that is what he is doing here so it’s actually consistent with his record,” Clark said in an interview with ABC News.
There are specific legal concerns as it relates to the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their official authority to affect an election. While the president and vice president are largely exempt from the law, it does apply to those who work at the White House -- including the president’s daughter Ivanka, in her capacity as an adviser to the president.
The White House has said she will be speaking in her “personal capacity.” While Clark says that is permissible, what Trump says and the physical location of her speech will be critical.
“She has to be outside and she can’t invoke federal authority. She has to be introduced as the president’s daughter and not as his adviser, and she needs to be talking about her daddy and not her boss,” Clark said.
President Donald Trump stands on stage as he visits the Republican National Committee convention site in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 24, 2020.
Clark explained that the Hatch Act was written in such a way that specifies prohibited activities as being limited to the confines of federal buildings.
“When Congress passed these provisions, they wanted to ensure that the federal workplace was free from partisan political activity and the language they used was referring to a room or building occupied by federal employees. Now some federal employees carry out their duties outside. But the Hatch Act doesn’t apply to that.”
“If people are wondering why it’s outside, maybe it’s because of COVID but maybe it’s also because of the Hatch Act,” she said.
Secretary of StateMike Pompeowas also slated to speak, which would make him the first sitting secretary of state to deliver a speech to a party's political convention in modern times. Pompeo was expected to tape his remarks during an official diplomatic stop in Jerusalem Monday; the State Department said he would be speaking in his "personal" capacity.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Monday defended the president’s decision to deliver his convention address from the White House, saying the country is “an unprecedented time” as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic and noting that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt went before him during World War II.
He downplayed concerns around the appearance of impropriety in delivering a political address from the White House grounds, in part by noting that the speech is outdoors and not indoors.
“I don't see a mixture of it. It's actually coming from the White House lawn, as you know," he said. "And so it's not an address from the Oval Office like Franklin Delano Roosevelt did so many years ago."
Meadows was transparent that the choice of venue was not based on a matter of convenience, noting that the president is willing to travel, but said the backdrop matches up with the message the president wanted to send voters.
“No, it's not about convenience," he said. "I think it's about for most people wanting to understand and hear from the President of the United States on what he's going to do to make sure the next four years continue to build on the last four years.”
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Chief of staff Mark Meadows listen as President Donald Trump speaks at the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 24, 2020.
While it can be difficult for a president to totally separate himself from politics -- while promoting legislation with an Oval Office address, for example -- using the White House as a "prop" at a party convention is unprecedented in recent times, according to Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.
"There still is a boundary between politics and governing, and the Oval Office and White House are a public site meant for the country that isn't meant to be a political backdrop," Zelizer told ABC News. "To just use it as the major site for a convention speech seems like a lot with President Trump -- you just take all the guardrails down."
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence frequently use official travel and events, at the White House and across the country, to attack Democrats and make blatant political speeches, even playing the same music they use at campaign rallies.
Trump's insistence on having in-person crowds at his events, despite warnings from public health officials that such gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic could spread the virus, have also ignited concerns about this week's events at the White House.
The White House declined to comment on what precautions were being taken to protect attendees from COVID-19 or whether the White House staff was involved with any measures. Typically, those who come into close contact with the president and vice president, including senior staff and visitors to the White House, receive rapid diagnostic tests for the virus.
The Republican National Committee and the president's reelection campaign did not respond to requests for comment about coronavirus-related precautions.
Despite top public health officials and the White House itself officially encouraging Americans to practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings, the president himself has eschewed that advice -- and sometimes, local regulations -- by speaking to packed campaign rallies, almost never wearing a face covering, and disparaging governors who take a more cautious approach.
Last week, Meadows explained to reporters that Trump benefits from having an in-person audience because "he does get energy from other people" and that he hoped a crowd at the White House this week would provide for "that interaction back and forth" with the president.
People listen as President Trump speaks on stage at the Republican National Committee convention site, in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 24, 2020.
In fact, on Monday, the president made an unannounced stop at the site of the Republican National Convention's limited, in-person proceedings in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spoke for nearly an hour to a crowd of delegates indoors.
Later in the day, Trump traveled to Mills River, North Carolina, ostensibly for an official event on feeding Americans during the pandemic that was the impetus for his visit to the political battleground state.
In reality, he used the majority of his remarks at the taxpayer-funded event to campaign against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.
The president railed against Democratic governors who he has alleged, without evidence, are keeping coronavirus-related restrictions in place to suppress the economy and hurt him politically -- including North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, who backed limitations that ultimately prevented a large-scale, in-person GOP convention from taking place.
"All Democrats, they want to keep it closed as long as possible -- right up until the election, then they're gonna open it," he said, without providing any factual basis for the assertion, which he has made before.
Biden and public health experts have highlighted the risk of Trump's in-person campaigning.
“Look what happens when -- with what's happened with his, his events -- people die," Biden said Friday in anexclusive interviewwith ABC “World News Tonight” Anchor David Muir. "People get together. They don't wear masks. They end up getting COVID. They end up dying."
