Treasury - a move that could net him a healthy tax break. Congress could technically exempt the president and vice president from conflict-of-interest laws ― due to the presumption that no leader would bring such conflicts to the Oval Office in the first place.Ī little over a week before taking the oath of office, Trump held a press conference to indicate that he would not sell his global hotel chain, would continue to accept reservations bankrolled by foreign leaders and would donate the profits from those bookings to the U.S. Trump has insisted that as president, he is exempt from having conflicts of interest. His constitutional violations are immediate and serious, so we were forced to take legal action.” It was our hope that President Trump would take the necessary steps to avoid violating the Constitution before he took office,” Bookbinder said in a statement. Noah Bookbinder, CREW’s executive director, said the group had hoped for a resolution before the situation turned to lawsuits. “Frankly, I find it very, very sad,” Eric Trump told The New York Times on Sunday. Trump’s son Eric, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, called the planned lawsuit “purely harassment for political gain.” If Abrams agrees with either argument, the lawsuit would be dismissed. The lawsuit filed Monday notes that Trump’s labyrinthine business arrangements have put a drain on the group’s resources and prevented it from doing other watchdog work in the public interest.īut some legal scholars contend that CREW’s injury isn’t particularized enough, and that an inquiry into whether the president is being enriched by a foreign government is a political question that only Congress can remediate ― either by refusing consent to the president’s dealings or, in the case of a violation, by impeachment. However, the lawsuit could arguably allow CREW to get judicial access to the tax returns in order show the extent to which Trump is indebted to both foreign and domestic lenders.Īn early barrier for CREW’s legal effort will be showing that the group itself has suffered direct harm from Trump’s alleged violations. payments” from these foreign entities violates the Constitution.Īccording to a pool report from the White House, Trump on Monday called the lawsuit “without merit.”īreaking with longstanding presidential tradition, Trump has refused to release his tax returns. Trump owes over $300 million in loans to Germany’s Deutsche Bank and “ hundreds of millions” to the state-controlled Bank of China, which also leases office space in Trump Tower.ĬREW claims that the president’s “acceptance of any. The president also holds at least an estimated $1 billion in debt, much of it to foreign entities. The lawsuit points to some of these arrangements around the globe to make its case, including Trump’s interests in luxury golf resorts in Scotland and Dubai, residential towers in Turkey and two real estate projects in Indonesia. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, an appointee of President Barack Obama.Įthics watchdogs and public policy experts have called the conflict of interest posed by Trump’s complex, opaque global business entanglements “ unprecedented.” The lawsuit asks a federal court to declare that Trump is covered by the clause, and seeks an injunction to prevent its violation. The watchdog argues that the text and history of the provision point to the prevention of corruption and self-dealing by federal officials who might be able to profit from ― and thus be influenced by ― foreign governments. The clause states that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” It has never been interpreted by the Supreme Court. CREW’s legal argument rests on Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution ― the once-obscure Foreign Emoluments Clause, which since Trump’s election has gained enormous attention for how it appears to cover the president’s business dealings.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |