First, I want to point out the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Quote: 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. The Foreign Emoluments Clause prohibits federal officers from accepting foreign emoluments without congressional consent.
It’s important to understand that vocabulary in the 1770s was different that it is now. However, the italicized portion is pretty clear, and the last two words are key. No person holding any office may accept any emolument of any kind from a foreign state.
Emoluments are defined as payment for product, labor or service. Service is the key in this case, because that includes staying at a hotel. When you stay at a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, or even paying for a portion of land for camping, you’re paying for a service. So, every time that an ambassador, consul, attorney, secretary, or other employee of a foreign power paid Trump Enterprises for staying at a room in his hotels or playing at his golf club, some of that money went to Donald Trump and Trump, thereby, was in violation of the Constitution. And he knew that very well. How do we know that the fee for that stay wasn’t enhanced by, say half a million dollars in exchange for political favors, or maybe military information?
We don’t.
In September, 2016, I’d predicted that Trump would drop out of the election because the Emoluments clause of the Constitution would require him to divest himself of his income properties—hotels, golf courses, etc. At the time I had not accounted for the fact that Trump did not care about what the Constitution demanded. He turned the administration of those properties over to his children or family, but he did not remove himself from the profit-taking of all income from those properties.
There is also a Domestic Emoluments Clause, also known as the Presidential Emoluments Clause, which states that the President will get paid for his service, but will not receive any other Emolument from the United States, or any individual state. But the Trump properties charged the Secret Service (The U.S.) for staying at the properties. That was a willful violation of this Emoluments Clause.
Another violation of the Constitution was on June 1, 2020, when Trump ordered the dispersal of a crowd of peaceful protestors outside the White House so he could walk over to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op, thus violating the First Amendment’s provision for freedom of Assembly.
Donald Trump, like every President before him, or since, took an oath to defend the Constitution. A person can’t defend it if he’s violating it.
Yet, millions of people in this country are willing to forgive or ignore those violations, or refuse to believe them because their favored news sources don’t mention them.
Lastly, for now, in December of 2022, Donald Trump, still insisting on the Big Lie Of his election loss, declared that, quote, “… Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,”
I have said in the past, vocally and in writing, that if you support Donald Trump, you cannot support the Constitution, and if you support the Constitution, you cannot support Donald Trump. This quote, plus his violations of the Constitution as listed above, are the reasons I insist this is the case.
Next time, I’ll point out a few things about his Big Lie concerning his election loss. In the meantime, please read.
It’s important to understand that vocabulary in the 1770s was different that it is now. However, the italicized portion is pretty clear, and the last two words are key. No person holding any office may accept any emolument of any kind from a foreign state.
Emoluments are defined as payment for product, labor or service. Service is the key in this case, because that includes staying at a hotel. When you stay at a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, or even paying for a portion of land for camping, you’re paying for a service. So, every time that an ambassador, consul, attorney, secretary, or other employee of a foreign power paid Trump Enterprises for staying at a room in his hotels or playing at his golf club, some of that money went to Donald Trump and Trump, thereby, was in violation of the Constitution. And he knew that very well. How do we know that the fee for that stay wasn’t enhanced by, say half a million dollars in exchange for political favors, or maybe military information?
We don’t.
In September, 2016, I’d predicted that Trump would drop out of the election because the Emoluments clause of the Constitution would require him to divest himself of his income properties—hotels, golf courses, etc. At the time I had not accounted for the fact that Trump did not care about what the Constitution demanded. He turned the administration of those properties over to his children or family, but he did not remove himself from the profit-taking of all income from those properties.
There is also a Domestic Emoluments Clause, also known as the Presidential Emoluments Clause, which states that the President will get paid for his service, but will not receive any other Emolument from the United States, or any individual state. But the Trump properties charged the Secret Service (The U.S.) for staying at the properties. That was a willful violation of this Emoluments Clause.
Another violation of the Constitution was on June 1, 2020, when Trump ordered the dispersal of a crowd of peaceful protestors outside the White House so he could walk over to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op, thus violating the First Amendment’s provision for freedom of Assembly.
Donald Trump, like every President before him, or since, took an oath to defend the Constitution. A person can’t defend it if he’s violating it.
Yet, millions of people in this country are willing to forgive or ignore those violations, or refuse to believe them because their favored news sources don’t mention them.
Lastly, for now, in December of 2022, Donald Trump, still insisting on the Big Lie Of his election loss, declared that, quote, “… Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,”
I have said in the past, vocally and in writing, that if you support Donald Trump, you cannot support the Constitution, and if you support the Constitution, you cannot support Donald Trump. This quote, plus his violations of the Constitution as listed above, are the reasons I insist this is the case.
Next time, I’ll point out a few things about his Big Lie concerning his election loss. In the meantime, please read.
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