Received this e-mail today from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee:
Trump has a new reason to attack Democratic Attorneys General running for election and reelection in 2018 and 2020. It's called The Emoluments Clause. The AGs will need our help.
A financial disclosure Trump released Friday shows that he owns at least $1.4 billion in assets, including properties such as the Trump International Hotel near the White House and the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The Emoluments Clause is a Constitutional ban on presidents receiving gifts or payments from foreign governments that could amount to bribes. In May, The Atlantic reported that Trump's company said it's "'not practical' to comply with the Emoluments Clause."
Now, Democratic AGs in Maryland and Washington DC are taking Trump to court over it. And, so are nearly 200 congressional Dems who agreed one day later to file a similar suit. This is one more thing that could lead to impeachment.
Trump is going to be furious, and the right-wing attacks will be more disgusting than ever. But we can help the Attorneys General fight back.
Thousands of PCCC members have donated to elect more Democratic Attorneys General and fend off attacks from right-wing interests targeting them for defeat.
The Emoluments Clause in the Constitution reads, "No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
According to NBC News, the provision "was inserted into the Constitution as a way to prevent sitting leaders from accepting foreign gifts or payments, in order to ensure complete neutrality from outside influence and to prevent even the appearance of corruption."
In a separate report, NBC News lays out the legal case made by the AGs:
"In one instance, the Trump International Hotel took in about $270,000 in payments tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is lobbying to pull back a U.S. terrorism law.
"Attorney General Brian Frosh of Maryland said the President 'pitched Trump International Hotel to foreign diplomats and to government officials' and 'appears frequently at Trump establishments using his role as president as a marketing device to raise their public profile.'
"'The President is paid by companies owned by foreign governments including China,' he said. 'He takes money from Saudi Arabia, India, Afghanistan, and Qatar, who own properties in Trump World Tower and pay him charges,' he said."
Democratic State Attorneys General are uniquely equipped to defend the Constitution from Trump’s abuses, just as they did with the Muslim travel ban cases earlier this year. And the Democratic Attorneys General Association is uniquely equipped to defend them from right-wing attacks and retribution at election-time.
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- The Progressive Change Campaign Committee