The Democrats can no longer avoid adding his blatant corruption to the articles of impeachment
by digby
He claims that running his business from the oval office is fine because George Washington did it. But let’s not kid ourselves. He’s still running his business. If he weren’t he would not be in a position to offer to hold the G& at Doral at cost — or, as he’s said lately, for free (which is a joke.) He hasn’t even attempted to pretend that Don Jr and Eric are the ones making this decision.
Today in his press avail he went to great lengths to talk about how George Washington had one desk for his business and one desk for the presidency apparently believing that such a thing (I don’t know if it’s true) makes his obvious conflicts of interest just fine and dandy.
Of course, he’s always said that it would be perfectly fine for him to run his business as president he just didn’t like “the way it looks.” That obviously no longer bothers him. Of course it never really did.
“It’s a beautiful place. It’s been totally rebuilt. It’s new” — here’s the President of the United States obliviously using the White House to promote a business he still owns and profits from amid a scandal about him using the presidency to enrich himself. pic.twitter.com/I9UieZuwtb— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2019
Trump has admitted that he’s still running his business so let’s be clear about what’s going on with the rest of the family business as well:
Eric Trump: the Trump family ‘got out of all international business’ when Donald Trump became presidentThe Trump Organization: https://t.co/9QuvTeqQG6
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) October 21, 2019
They are making money from the presidency, no doubt about it. The fact that they are simultaneously going after Joe Biden and his son for influence peddling is simply awe-inspiring chutzpah.
All of this is impeachable by the way. The “phony emoluments clause” as Trump put it, isn’t phony at all. It’s right there in the document he was sworn to protect and defend. He’s admitted to running his business while he’s in office. Which means that he’s been knowingly and openly accepting money from foreigners, in contravention of the constitution.
We knew this. It was obvious. But now that he’s no longer even pretending that his sons are running the business and he has nothing to do with it, I don’t think the Democrats can avoid adding it to the list of his crimes as president.
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