President Trump’s Post-Mueller Corruption Problem

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The Atlantic

Politics, News, Society & Culture

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🗓️ 23 March 2019

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

When elected, most presidents either sell their assets or put them in a blind trust. Isolating a president’s financial interests from their time in office has been a norm for decades: from Jimmy Carter giving up his peanut farm to Barack Obama liquidating his assets. But Donald Trump is not like most presidents. He’s said he won’t divest from his businesses, even though his real estate deals around the world open up countless opportunities for conflicts of interest. His unprecedented decision may violate the “emoluments clause” of the Constitution — a rule that’s existed longer than the American republic, but has never before faced scrutiny in the courts. On Tuesday, a panel of Fourth Circuit judges heard an emoluments case and their decision appears likely to send the fight to Supreme Court. Alex Wagner talks to Joshua Matz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in that case, a Georgetown law professor, and co-author of the January 2017 Atlantic story: ”Why Trump Will Violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Mr.
0:05.0	Trump put himself in a very bad position when he didn't divest himself of conflicts
0:11.0	when he took over as president of the United States.
0:13.0	But he has decided to reject the advice of the Office of Government Ethics to divest from all of his businesses.
0:18.0	President Trump's businesses violate the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions.
0:24.5	I could actually run my business and run government at the same time.
0:28.5	These papers are just some of the many documents that I've signed turning over complete and total
0:35.0	control to my son. I have in no conflict of interest provision as president. When elected, most presidents either sell their assets or put them in a blind trust.
0:50.4	Islating a president's financial interest from his time in office has been a norm for the past four decades
0:56.1	from Jimmy Carter handing his peanut farm to a trustee to Barack Obama liquidating his assets
1:03.0	We already know that Donald Trump is not like most presidents, but on this count in particular,
1:08.0	he stands alone.
1:09.4	Trump has said he won't divest from his businesses, even though his real estate deals around the world
1:14.3	open him up to countless opportunities for conflicts of interest.
1:18.8	Trump is certainly shattering a presidential
1:24.4	when businesses like the Trump International
1:27.2	in DC earn him money from foreign governments
1:30.0	it may violate what is called the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.
1:35.2	And while the Clause has been in the Constitution for over two centuries, it has never been
1:39.7	tested by the courts.
1:41.9	Until now, until this week.
1:44.0	What is the emoluments clause and could it actually threaten the Trump presidency?
	...

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