“Officials at the General Services Administration (GSA) ignored the Constitution in allowing President Donald Trump to keep the lease at his namesake Washington, D.C. hotel, an inspector general report revealed this week.
According to the report, GSA, which oversaw the redevelopment of the Old Post Office building where the Trump International Hotel is currently housed, and was responsible for screening all development proposals, overlooked critical provisions in the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause in allowing Trump to maintain the lease following his election in 2016.
“We found that GSA recognized that the President’s business interest in the OPO lease raised issues under the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses that might cause a breach of the lease,” the report read. “[H]owever, GSA decided not to address those issues in connection with the management of the lease. […] In addition, we found that GSA’s unwillingness to address the constitutional issues affected its analysis of Section 37.19 of the lease that led to GSA’s conclusion that [Trump’s] business structure satisfied the terms and conditions of the lease.”
That is all very well and good, but I am cynical enough to wonder if this finding is less about condemnation of the GSA then giving drumpf cover when the emoluments case comes before the court.
I can see his tweet now:
Corrupt deep-state officials at the GSA took advantage of my lack of experience in Real Estate deals with governments to set me up to corruptly profit by millions of $$s!!! Sad! No collusion!
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[cross-posted to PolitiZoom]
