Trump companies took at least $7.8 million from foreign governments during his Presidency – National & International News – THU 4Jan2024

Oversight Committee report finds Trump violated Constitution by accepting money from foreign governments while in office. Trump continues raking in Saudi money even while running for President.

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump companies took at least $7.8 million from foreign governments during his Presidency

A report from the House Oversight Committee found that hotels and other properties owned by former President Trump took in $7.8 million from various foreign governments during just two years of his presidency.

The committee first subpoenaed the documents from Trump’s former accounting firm Mazar’s in 2019 when Democrats still controlled the House. Because of various legal tussles, and obstruction by Republican James Comer (TX) after he took control of the committee in 2023, the committee’s Democrats only got a fraction of the documents they originally sought. Mazar’s ultimately only handed over documents for about 20% of businesses Trump owned directly or indirectly while in office, and only from a limited timeframe. All of this means that the $7.8 million figure is likely a significant undercount.

The documents the committee had show that Trump’s biggest foreign benefactor during those two years was China, who spent $5.5 million at various Trump properties. The committee also found that the Saudi government and royal family spent at least $615,400 at Trump properties during those two years. At least 20 countries contributed to the $7.8 million total. After China and Saudi Arabia, the next three biggest contributors were Qatar, Kuwait and India.

The Oversight Committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin (NJ), noted that these payments which personally enriched Trump and his family were clear violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. This clause bars federal officials from accepting any gifts from foreign governments or monarchs without express permission from Congress.

More Saudi money for Trump after office

The report noted that early in his presidency, Trump signed a $100 billion weapons deal with the Saudis. Later, he dismissed US intelligence assessments that found that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) had ordered the 2018 murder of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. Raskin cited these incidents as evidence that Trump “put lining his pockets with cash from foreign governments seeking policy favors over the interests of the American people”.

The Saudi funds did not stop pouring in after Trump left office. Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser Jared Kushner bagged a $2 billion investment from MBS just 6 months after Trump left office. This even raised the eyebrows of Republicans in Congress, including current Oversight chair James Comer who said Kushner had “crossed the line of ethics” when he accepted this money. Congress initiated a short-lived inquiry into the matter, but ultimately it was quashed.

In 2022, before announcing his 2024 candidacy, Trump signed a $4 billion deal with a Saudi real-estate company to develop a golf resort in Oman.

Even since announcing his re-election bid, Trump has received yet more Saudi money for hosting LIV golf tournaments at his golf courses. The Saudi-owned LIV has now merged with the PGA, which also holds events at Trump courses. Last month, Trump proudly announced a LIV event would take place at his Doral golf course near Miami in April 2024.