(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, sent a letter to Eric Trump, the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and son of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, seeking information on the Trump Organization’s recent request for financial benefits from domestic and foreign government entities during the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
“The Emoluments Clauses of the United States Constitution are intended to promote the complete and undivided loyalty of the President to the American people,” the Chairs wrote.
After Congress passed legislation prohibiting U.S. taxpayer funds from being used to benefit companies in which President Trump holds a stake, recent reports indicated that the Trump Organization had turned to foreign governments to seek financial assistance for the President’s companies. Eric Trump confirmed that the President’s companies are now seeking financial assistance directly from the British government.
“Apart from the grave Emoluments Clause problems your actions cause in the United States, officials in the United Kingdom have raised serious concerns about using their own taxpayer funds to bail out President Trump’s companies,” the Chairs wrote.
For example, Martin Ford, a councilor in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where one of the President’s two Scottish luxury properties is located, stated, “The huge tab for this will be borne throughout the whole population through higher taxes.” He added, “If what he says about his personal wealth is true, Trump doesn’t need the money, and I don’t see why U.K. taxpayers of the future should be helping him out.”
The Chairs request documents detailing this new request for financial assistance by May 21, 2020.
Click here to read today’s here.
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