The comically obvious corruption missing from Trump’s impeachment hearings – By Ryan Cooper (The Week) / Nov 16 2019
Public impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives ramped up Friday with the testimony of Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Her story was the most compelling yet, detailing her long and often-dangerous diplomatic career, as well as her bewilderment at being abruptly shoved out of office by President Trump. The reason, she said, was a quiet smear campaign from both corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs and the Trump administration.
All this is very important. But so far there is no sign Democrats are going to add Trump’s own personal corruption — how he is stuffing American government money into his own bank accounts and taking payments from foreign governments, both in clear violation of the Constitution — to the impeachment hearing schedule. (So far it has gotten only tangential consideration.)
It’s a huge missed opportunity.
As I have written before, it is simply inarguable that Trump is violating both sections of the Constitution that prohibit the president collecting “emoluments,” which just an old-timey word for compensation. Article I, Section 9 prohibits taking money from foreign governments without the approval of Congress, while Article II, Section 1 prohibits taking it from any U.S. states or the federal government. While in office, the president is supposed to receive only his salary, currently set at $400,000 — no less, and no more.
Trump receives both less and more. He donates his salary, but he also violates both emoluments prohibitions, raking in money hand over fist from the federal government and foreign states alike. The U.S. government is spending huge sums at Trump’s personal properties, which he still owns and promotes continually, both domestically and overseas. (Conservative political operations have spent millions more at Trump hotels, which arguably should also count.) The take is comically obvious: In September, for example, Vice President Pence at the personal request of the president stayed at a Trump hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland, for a state visit in Dublin — which required a 3-hour commute clear to the other side of the country.
Representatives of at least 28 foreign states have stayed at Trump’s D.C. hotel, to say nothing of his other properties. His sprawling business empire has ongoing operations in dozens of countries. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a federal watchdog, has monitored Trump’s personal conflicts of interest and come up with over 2,300 and counting.
Continue to article: https://theweek.com/articles/878707/comically-obvious-corruption-missing-from-trumps-impeachment-hearings
Illustrated | Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Asya_mix/iStock, Aerial3/iStock
