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House Democrats know that Republicans are already squirming over Trump’s willingness to accept a $400 million bribe from Qatar, so they have introduced a resolution demanding that Trump get the approval of Congress before accepting the plane.
The resolution states in part:
Whereas acceptance of the Qatari aircraft without the permission of Congress would clearly violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause, while also posing significant national security dangers, including, not only in terms of the corruption and illegitimate influence that the framers anticipated, but also in terms of substantial additional risks of espionage against and surveillance of the President and other senior United States Government officials;
and Whereas President Trump remarked that this unprecedented and extravagant gift from a foreign state would result in ‘‘big savings [that] will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’’, but, in fact, it would not replace the existing contract for retrofitting and modernizing Air Force One, and would instead require hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in new Federal Government and taxpayer investment to retrofit and debug this gift from an autocratic foreign state:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved,
That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that President Trump must comply with the Foreign Emoluments Clause by submitting all plans for this gift imme diately to Congress; and if he wishes to accept the ‘‘flying palace’’ from the royal family of Qatar as he says publicly he would like to do, obtaining the consent of Congress before doing so.
Rep. Raskin said in a statement:
The Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause is clear: Donald Trump cannot accept gifts ‘of any kind whatever’ from foreign states or kings without Congressional consent—and that includes Trump’s Con Air One, a flying bribe from the Qatari royals.
Today, House Judiciary Democrats are filing a resolution instructing Trump either to turn down this Qatari ‘flying palace’ or to come to Congress immediately and seek our consent to accept it. It is what the Constitution requires and what previous Presidents have always done, from Abraham Lincoln to John F. Kennedy. The Constitution charges Congress with ensuring the President does not use the highest office in the land as a get-rich-quick scheme to pocket lavish gifts from foreign Presidents, Dictators, and Emirs. It is high time that Congress do its job.
If Trump gets to accept this plane, it will be because Republicans in Congress chose to turn a blind eye to the most corrupt public act ever committed by a president.
Democrats are going to join Republicans at the hip to Trump’s corruption. The best possible outcome here will be for Democrats to force a vote on the resolution and watch Republicans squirm as they have to defend their president taking a bribe.
What do you think about Rep. Raskin’s resolution? Share your thoughts in the comments below.