Trump Emoluments Clause Violations Compounded as he Awards G-7 to His Own Resort

Statement of Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause

President Trump’s contempt for the United States Constitution is laid bare again with the White House announcement that the G-7 Summit will be held at a Trump resort in Florida. If not stopped by the courts, the summit would represent yet another violation of the emoluments clause as the President harnesses the power of his office to pad his own bank account.

The growing list of abuses of the powers of the presidency are what we expect of Vladimir Putin or a Third World dictator – not the President of the United States. Trump’s actions are not only beneath the dignity of the office, they are a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which prohibits the president from receiving payments from foreign governments. We hope the courts will act expeditiously to curb these abuses along with the myriad other violations of the emoluments clause that have already been challenged.