Dem committee chairs blast Trump G-7 announcement

Democratic heads of House committees took aim at the president on Thursday after it was announced that the upcoming meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations would be hosted at President Trump’s resort in Miami.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said shortly after the announcement that Trump’s plan was one of the clearest examples of “corruption” and violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause that had appeared thus far.

{mosads}“The Administration’s announcement that President Trump’s Doral Miami resort will be the site of the next G7 summit is among the most brazen examples yet of the President’s corruption. He is exploiting his office and making official U.S. government decisions for his personal financial gain,” Nadler said.

“The Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution exist to prevent exactly this kind of corruption,” he continued. “The committee will continue investigating, litigating and legislating regarding these matters—including pressing for answers to our prior requests about the G7 selection process—but we will not allow this latest abuse of power to distract from Congress’ efforts to get to the bottom of the President’s interference in the 2020 election.”

Nadler’s sentiments were echoed by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, who said that the G-7 plans represent “a clear effort to use the power of the Presidency for self-enrichment.”

“To address this abuse of power, House Democrats included provisions in two appropriations bills adopted in June to prevent the President from spending federal funds at Trump properties, including funds needed to stand up a G7 summit. The provisions are including in both the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill and the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill,” Lowey said.

“As we prepare to negotiate final appropriations bills, Senate Republicans will have to choose whether to stand up to this blatant corruption or once again allow President Trump to violate basic norms and profit off the Presidency,” she added.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announced the Trump National Doral Miami resort as the location of the upcoming summit of world leaders during a rare briefing at the White House on Thursday, a move that immediately elicited questions from reporters about whether the location represented a conflict of interest for the president.

Trump did not sell his businesses upon entering the presidency, instead placing them in a trust controlled by his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. That business relationship has been heavily criticized by government watchdog groups and other detractors of the president who argue that foreign and domestic patronage of the president’s properties constitute violations of the above-mentioned clause.