Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote a letter on Friday, urging former President Trump to return approximately $7.8 million that his companies received from foreign governments during his time in office.
Last week, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Democrats alleged in a report that Trump’s businesses accepted money from foreign entities in 20 countries, claiming that these payments violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.
Raskin, in his letter, condemned Trump’s acceptance of foreign emoluments while in office as a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution and a betrayal of the nation’s interests and the trust of its people.
According to the report, a majority of the payments, totaling about $5.6 million, originated from China and were directed to Trump’s hotels in Washington and Las Vegas, as well as Trump Tower in New York.
Raskin pointed out that the $7.8 million figure is incomplete and does not encompass a significant portion of the money Trump received. He attributed this limitation to the curtailment of the investigation by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) when he assumed the committee chair last January.
The report, according to Raskin, was unable to provide a comprehensive account of the total foreign emoluments accepted by Trump as president, making it challenging to determine the exact amount owed to the American people. Raskin also highlighted Trump’s legal battles against the committee’s attempts to obtain documents related to the foreign emoluments he received during his presidency.
Raskin argued that the countries contributing to Trump’s businesses expected and, in many instances, received favors and specific policy outcomes from the former president and his administration in return.
This report emerges amid Oversight Committee Republicans’ investigation into President Biden’s family finances, focusing on allegations that the president’s son and brother accepted money from foreign sources in business dealings.
During a committee hearing on Thursday, Raskin and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) engaged in a debate over the foreign money claims, with Raskin emphasizing that there are no exceptions to the foreign emoluments clause for hotels or international real estate syndicates.
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