Did trump violate the emoluments clause?
Treasury confirms it received check for Trump Organization foreign profits
It appears he didnt keep any of the money from foreign governments made through his hotels. He gave the money to the u.s. treasury.
What do we make of this?
There is no transparency as to how much money they donated, how they arrived at that number, how profits were calculated, or where the profits came from. As we have pointed out before, their plan, even if fully implemented, is woefully insufficient. There is no independent oversight or accountability. We’re being asked to take their word for it.
Would you take Obama's word for it?
The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia
are suing Trump and his company over the
receipt of foreign payments, arguing it violates the Constitution.
How come Republicans don't know this is unconstitutional?
You are correct, the numbers are unverified, however, we dont know what that means. I suppose clarification is needed by the treasury. However, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume the payments are a complete reversal of those monies? Why would the trump organization only turn over part of the money?
The fact that they turned over any money shows they were concerned that it would be a problem for them, so if they knew that, it would stand to reason they would refund all of it, to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
Would I take Obama's word for it? Had you asked me that a couple of months ago, or even a few weeks ago, I would have probably argued the point, however, as if late, I am seeing that this hyper partisanship that exists within both political parties is not beneficial for anyone. In fact, its damaging to everyone. Look at usmb on any given day, its filled with nothing but fighting, accusations, denying, and bickering.
We are never going to find any common ground as long as we are so partisan that we cannot recognize the faults in our own party. So, now I'm trying to look past the partisanship and find the truth. The truth is, we have a problem in Washington, and it's not limited to one party or the other. Both are equally to blame.
If we want to ever have hope of regaining dignity and integrity in our government, we need to hold our own party accountable and be fair in looking at accusations of the opposite party.
Sadly, I dont think this is possible, because everybody wants their party to win, even if it means attacking the opposing party with unfounded accusations. We are also going to defend our own parties by denying, shifting blame, and attacking the other side.
The problem mostly stems from a super partisan media. They are the ones who, ultimately, are to blame for the division we see in the country. I say this because, we as Americans only know what is going on in the world, by the media that delivers it to us. Every media organization has it's own spin on every story they tell. We, as listeners, are going to run to whatever media aligns with our own political ideology. Because of this, we are constantly fed whatever it is that they want us to hear. Most of the time, it's how they are "the truth", and the other side is lying. Then people come to this forum and say "were right, and the other side is lying".
Take the Mueller report, for example. I'm going to guess that most people haven't even read it, they just get the sound bites from whatever media organization they listen to, and that becomes their belief, and then they come here to argue about it.
I'll be honest, I'm guilty of it myself, so, now, I'll say, I dont know what to believe. I really don't have time to sit down and read a 400 page report, that is likely written in legalize, and I won't understand it anyway, and I know the only way I'm going to hear about it is through whatever media I listen to. I don't trust them.
So, my take on it now is, I want to hear Mueller testify. I want to hear what HE says his report says. Unfortunately, even that wont really suffice, because we dont know what his personal agenda is, and, the only way we can dissect it is through some lawyer on TV explaining the legal nuances. I'm no lawyer, so when someone starts talking about legal affairs, I have to rely on others who have that kind of knowledge and experience to translate for me.
Again, however, it's hard to trust anyone because we have become so divided as a nation, that even those lawyers will likely give THEIR interpretation.
I apologize, maybe I've become a bit cynical, it's just that I see what is happening in this country, and in think we are too far beyond the point of coming together again. There is just too much divisiveness and partisanship going on in the political world.
