Tag

#emoluments

3 incidents

Updated January 20, 2021 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Emoluments: Foreign and Domestic Payments to Trump Properties Throughout Presidency

Trump retained ownership of his business empire throughout his presidency, rejecting the divestment that every modern president had undertaken. The Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. — in the old Post Office Pavilion leased from the General Services Administration — was particularly notable: foreign governments and diplomatic delegations booked the hotel, and the GSA was both the landlord and a federal agency under presidential authority. Three lawsuits were filed against Trump under the Emoluments Clauses; all were ultimately dismissed without reaching the merits after Trump left office. Congressional oversight requests for information about foreign payments were resisted throughout.

Sources
4
emolumentscorruptionTrump-hotelforeign-governmentsfirst-term
Updated January 20, 2021 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Emoluments Violations: Profiting from Foreign and Domestic Governments While President

Unlike every president in modern history, Trump refused to divest from his businesses, instead placing them in a trust managed by his sons. Foreign governments and domestic government agencies spent millions at Trump properties during his presidency. Courts dismissed emoluments cases on procedural grounds rather than merits; a House investigation documented over $750,000 in government spending at Trump properties through 2020.

Sources
5
emolumentscorruptionconflicts-of-interestfirst-termConstitution
Updated January 20, 2021 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Presidential Conflicts of Interest: Trump Refused to Divest from Business Empire

Prior presidents had either sold their business assets or placed them in blind trusts managed by independent trustees. Trump placed his holdings in a revocable trust managed by his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, with Trump retaining the ability to revoke the trust at any time and receiving financial reports about the businesses. The Office of Government Ethics stated the arrangement was insufficient to prevent conflicts. The Trump International Hotel in Washington, housed in a federally-owned building under a lease Trump's own government administered, became a center of lobbying activity, with foreign governments and domestic interest groups booking events and rooms to seek favorable treatment. Saudi Arabia spent more than $270,000 at the hotel in a single year.

Sources
4
conflicts-of-interestemolumentsfirst-termcorruptionTrump-International-Hotel