Ethics? How about criminal? It’s a safe bet there’s something indictable in this…
His greed will be a never ending fountain of these issues. Because they are just too brazen, stupid and lazy to even bother to make the attempt to hide it.
I still think that while the national security/treason issues related to Russia are the big issue, its going to be the emoluments and financial conflicts of interest that ultimately force him out of office. Far less “national security” issues to be raised in either a public court or a Congressional impeachment trial.
If anything works it will not only be the emoluments angle but the whole previous history of Trump - and Kushner - taking multi millions from Mafia and Russian kleptocrat/mafia/criminal elements. Which obviously impacts on both their actions in their current elected and gotten by being Family positions.
There’s actually a pretty good argument for trump here: he’s such a self-seeking jerk that he’s not about to do anything for some public pension fund that sends money his way – if anything, he’ll fleece them and laugh all the way to the bank.
Taxes is what took Al Capone down…
My hope is that #TrumpRussia will show a) how deeply Republicans are compromised and b) make it plain to all but the dead-enders that Republicans only value #PartyOverCountry. Period.
Net result: GOP toxic for a generation.
That’s my dream and I’m sticking to it. Been having this dream for 15+ years. Maybe #TrumpRussia is the tipping point…
Seems a stretch. Stay on the hotel in the Old Post Office building.
Drip drip, motherfuckers!
My dream scenario is that the special counsel gets deep into RICO and the Money Laundering Control Act and hits both the Trump and Kushner clans with the federal asset forfeiture program.
Well just another example of incompetent vetting. Are his financial and legal advisors this stupid?
I agree, and it’s very encouraging that both Fed and state (NY, VA) investigators appear to be looking into financial histories, including money laundering. There are certainly numerous reports of Russian mob money being used (laundered) to by Trump real estate, both directly and through the favorite Bank of Cyprus pass-through (of Wilbur Ross fame).
I’m glad to see that someone has FINALLY noticed that the Constitution does not just prohibit payments to the president from foreign governments, but from a state. Art. II, Sec. 1 contains the following: "The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States, or any of them. " Presumably, that would include any state agency. For reasons I cannot explain (although maybe it has to do with an unwillingness to tackle language beyond the reach of the average second-grader) this has been ignored until now.
Is Trump violating this clause of the Constitution? Does the sun rise in the east?
I wonder if it could have anything to do with the party currently in control of Congress?
While this story could easily be an ethics issue, how does this particular story involve the emolument’s clause?
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and 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.
Are the several states considered “foreign states?”
'Oh I get it, this is a clause 7 claim.
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
Not stupid. They know no one in the GOP will ever hold Trump accountable and meanwhile GOP is working on federal-level voter suppression to lock in their permanent control of the states and of Congress. They probably figured this was a gamble worth taking. They might be right.
What’s the point of an emoluments clause in the Constitution if the Republican party or Supreme Court won’t/don’t enforce it and the WH doesn’t care about it?
I don’t mean that flippantly. How does this clause get enforced? What are the consequences? If it is enforced through impeachment, that’s not looking likely for at least 2-4 years. It’s not like the FBI/IRS/CIA is going to walk up to 1600 and arrest the President.
Remember, they only caught Al Capone on TAX EVASION and John Dillinger for “stealing money from Gumball machines and not reporting the income.”
It’s ALWAYS the Financial Crimes that get them in the end.
You CANNOT arrest a sitting President.
You MUST Impeach him or apply the 25th amendment to remove him from office FIRST. THEN you can arrest him.
The fact that he is also the Commander in Chief makes this even more difficult as under Military Law civilian authorities cannot charge active duty members (which, technically the CIC is.) They MUST be turned over to the Military Police first who then can detain the person until they are no longer serving (via discharge or court-marshal) at which point the civilian authorities can take them into custody.
Well, you have to keep it in your armory for whenever a Democrat accidentally finds their way into the White House…