According to the U.S. Constitution, it’s illegal for the President to make money, take gifts, or financially gain in any way from any foreign official. That’s because in Article I of the constitution there is a clause that says this:
“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.”
It means that if you are working for the U.S. government, you’re not allowed to earn money from anyone who represents a foreign government. For example, if you happen to be elected to some office, say President, then it would violate the constitution for you to rent a room in your hotel to a diplomat from abroad. He would be paying you to stay there, and it says right there in the good old Constitution that you can’t take the money.
An ambassador from the Georgian Republic seems to have missed this important fact. A few days ago he sent out a tweet praising the luxuries and service at the Trump International Hotel in D.C.
Trump International Hotel Washington DC @TrumpDC – great #hotel and so far the best service I've seen in United States! Keep it up! #travel pic.twitter.com/krLXwVNutS
— Kaha Imnadze (@kahaimnadze) April 6, 2017
It’s pretty obvious that Ambassador Imnadze has been paying out an emolument to President Trump.
But a look at Imnadze’s use of Twitter makes it even more obvious why the founding fathers put the emoluments clause into the Constitution in the first place. Apparently, the Ambassador wanted his stay at the swanky Trump Hotel to catch the eye of the President or his staff.
Since the election, the Hotel has been hosting dozens of foreign diplomats, embassy events, lobbyists and public officials. Imnadze seems to have wanted to distinguish his own visit by using the President’s favorite communication method.
Although he has an active Twitter account, Imnadze has never before tweeted about any hotel. All of his previous uses of the hashtag #travel have talked about how great it is to be a tourist in the Georgian Republic.
There’s already a lawsuit against Trump for violations like this one. The non-partisan group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is behind the suit. Norm Eisen, one of the group’s co-founders, says:
“We also know of Saudi and other Middle East examples. We will find out about a lot more when we get to discovery in our case.”
Interestingly, now that Ivanka Trump is officially employed by the White House, she is also in violation of the same clause. As a part owner of Trump’s businesses, she also profits from the fees paid by people like Ambassador Imnadze.
It will be fascinating to see how this lawsuit plays out. It certainly appears clear that the President has violated the Constitution.
The only thing I wonder is if he’s planning to use his usual tricks to drag the case out so long that he’ll be at the end of his term anyway? Then he’ll be able to pocket the catch, sell his influence, and walk away without a problem.
Disgusting thought, isn’t it?
Featured image in the Public Domain, shared via Pixabay.
