On Wednesday, June 14th 2017, 196 members of the U.S. Congress – among them 30 Senators – joined together to file a federal lawsuit against Donald Trump, alleging that he intentionally violated Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, the so-called “Foreign Emoluments Clause” which strictly forbids the president from accepting any payments, gifts or personal benefits from any foreign government without prior permission granted by the U.S. Congress. The massive lawsuit alleges that Trump, after refusing to divest himself of his ownership of more than 500 business entities after his inauguration, has been in violation of the U.S. Constitution by receiving money payments from foreign governments without permission from Congress and not even having notified Congress of such payments. Most notably, Trump is renting entire floors in his Trump Tower in Manhattan to the government-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, as well as to the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority which is a part of the government of the United Arab Emirates and also the Saudi Mission to the United Nations all of which are generating income for him in the multi-million Dollar range on a monthly basis. Added to that are the room rents paid by more than 100 foreign diplomats staying at his “Trump International Hotel Washington”, the old Post Office Building which he converted into a super luxury facility. The suit further alleges that that he personally profits from the grant of 38 new trademarks for the name Trump, granted by the Chinese Government. He continues to receive royalties from re-runs of his old TV show “The Apprentice”, paid to him by government owned- and operated television networks in Great Britain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Indonesia and Vietnam. Since becoming president, Trump has miraculously received previously denied government construction permits for hotels and resorts in China, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Great Britain, Turkey, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.
Representative John Conyers of Michigan and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who organized the Complaint, have stated that it has been joined by the greatest number of congressional plaintiffs in any lawsuit against a president in the entire history of the United States.
What is most notable in this Complaint, a complete copy of which is in the hands of the authors, is that it seeks a Declaratory Judgment from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the effect that Donald Trump has violated Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. The issuance of such a Declaratory Judgment would automatically constitute grounds for the impeachment of Trump!
It is clear to us that Donald Trump goes from scandal to scandal. First, Comey's statements where the president is involved, then the conflict of interests he faces because he has not given up the administration of his assets and finally the jewel of the crown, was to violate anti-corruption clauses in the United States Constitution. All that proves is the pride and stupidity that seizes power, as Jose Antonio Marina says in his book The Failed Intelligence. Do we really want to renegotiate NAFTA with a country in which its president does not have the slightest respect for its constitution? We believe that Mexico should suspend all types of renegotiations with the United States until there is a resolution to the Congressional demand that weighs on the backs of Donald Trump.
