Trump businesses took in nearly $8 million from foreign governments: House Democrats
Former President Trump took in at least $7.8 million from foreign entities in 20 countries, according to a new report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, payments to his various businesses that critics say could violate a constitutional prohibition on accepting funding from foreign governments.
The volume of foreign payments during Trump’s presidency — the majority coming from China — is detailed in one of the most exhaustive reviews of Trump’s business dealings with foreign governments while in office.
Democrats cautioned the total figure is likely larger, and they blasted GOP leadership they’ve accused of releasing Trump’s accounting firm Mazars from turning over requested documents just four months after a years-long legal battle forced it to comply with a congressional subpoena.
“Critically, even this subset of documents reveals a stunning web of millions of dollars in payments made by foreign governments and their agents directly to Trump-owned businesses, while President Trump was in the White House,” Democrats wrote in their report.
“By pocketing foreign states’ payments, President Trump repeatedly placed his personal financial interest and the interests of foreign wealth and power above the public interest, resulting in precisely the split loyalty between foreign power and the American people that the Framers sought to avoid.”
The lion’s share of the foreign money — some $5.6 million — flowed from China, which, along with other countries, primarily patronized three properties: Trump hotels in Washington and Las Vegas and Trump Tower in New York.
Concerned the billionaire hotelier’s businesses would be a magnet for foreign spending, ethics experts have long sounded the alarm that Trump’s properties would be a route for violating the emoluments clause of the constitution, which prohibits the president and other government officials from receiving profit or gain because of their role.
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Former President Trump's businesses took in nearly $8 million from foreign governments, according to a report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee https://t.co/iHkCyDZnmj pic.twitter.com/UA4Nk60PCZ
— The Hill (@thehill) January 4, 2024
Trump took $7.8 million from foreign powers and entities while he was president. He'd do it again if he's re-elected. And that's a national security nightmare and a good-governance problem. My column on the House Oversight report: https://t.co/zVDIAiziQH
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) January 4, 2024
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