"Twenty-two million people stand to lose their healthcare and these folks are in there dining on caviar and lobster," said Michael Delvone, D.C. director for the Working Families Party. (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Jun 29, 2017
With protesters outside chanting "Shame! Shame!" President Donald Trump held the first fundraiser of his 2020 reelection campaign at his international hotel in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday--an event described as a "new low" by one government ethics expert.
"Anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause."
--Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar
Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar and chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), charged in a series of tweets Wednesday night that the $35,000-per-ticket event--from which the press was barred--violated the domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from receiving any compensation beyond the set yearly salary.
"Trump monetizes his office constantly," Eisen wrote. "But tonight's a new low: he's collecting cash from being president, from [his] hotel, and from his party."
\u201c1/ Trump Hotel fundraiser is illegal. His benefitting from leasing this US property violates the domestic emoluments clause of US Const.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c2/ And the government's refusal to enforce hotel lease term which prohibits him from operating hotel ALSO makes 2nite an illegal emolument\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c3/ So anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
Eisen is hardly expressing a minority view. In an appearance on CNN Wednesday night, CREW vice chair Richard Painter called the fundraiser "flat out corrupt."
"This whole thing is disgusting and the American people are going to get fed up with both parties if they don't fix our government and get the corruption out," Painter said.
The event--held 40 months out from the 2020 race, the earliest any president has ever held a reelection fundraiser--was projected to raise as much as $10 million for Trump's reelection campaign and for the Republican National Committee.
As Common Dreams has reported, Trump has already been hit with a number of emoluments lawsuits by watchdog groups and state attorneys general for refusing to disentangle his presidency from his business interests. Wednesday's event is sure to spark further action.
In addition to calling attention to ethics concerns, activists also used the high-profile event to express their anger at Trumpcare, which if passed would take health insurance from 22 million people.
As Trump's motorcade pulled up to the hotel, protesters chanted "Shame!"
\u201cLoud, angry chants of SHAME as Trump's motorcade arrives @ Trump Hotel for fundraiser\u201d— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1498691275
"I knew that xenophobia, racism, and misogyny was expected but I didn't know it would cost $35,000 a plate," Michael Delvone, D.C. director for the Working Families Party, toldTime. "Twenty-two million people stand to lose their healthcare and these folks are in there dining on caviar and lobster."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
With protesters outside chanting "Shame! Shame!" President Donald Trump held the first fundraiser of his 2020 reelection campaign at his international hotel in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday--an event described as a "new low" by one government ethics expert.
"Anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause."
--Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar
Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar and chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), charged in a series of tweets Wednesday night that the $35,000-per-ticket event--from which the press was barred--violated the domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from receiving any compensation beyond the set yearly salary.
"Trump monetizes his office constantly," Eisen wrote. "But tonight's a new low: he's collecting cash from being president, from [his] hotel, and from his party."
\u201c1/ Trump Hotel fundraiser is illegal. His benefitting from leasing this US property violates the domestic emoluments clause of US Const.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c2/ And the government's refusal to enforce hotel lease term which prohibits him from operating hotel ALSO makes 2nite an illegal emolument\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c3/ So anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
Eisen is hardly expressing a minority view. In an appearance on CNN Wednesday night, CREW vice chair Richard Painter called the fundraiser "flat out corrupt."
"This whole thing is disgusting and the American people are going to get fed up with both parties if they don't fix our government and get the corruption out," Painter said.
The event--held 40 months out from the 2020 race, the earliest any president has ever held a reelection fundraiser--was projected to raise as much as $10 million for Trump's reelection campaign and for the Republican National Committee.
As Common Dreams has reported, Trump has already been hit with a number of emoluments lawsuits by watchdog groups and state attorneys general for refusing to disentangle his presidency from his business interests. Wednesday's event is sure to spark further action.
In addition to calling attention to ethics concerns, activists also used the high-profile event to express their anger at Trumpcare, which if passed would take health insurance from 22 million people.
As Trump's motorcade pulled up to the hotel, protesters chanted "Shame!"
\u201cLoud, angry chants of SHAME as Trump's motorcade arrives @ Trump Hotel for fundraiser\u201d— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1498691275
"I knew that xenophobia, racism, and misogyny was expected but I didn't know it would cost $35,000 a plate," Michael Delvone, D.C. director for the Working Families Party, toldTime. "Twenty-two million people stand to lose their healthcare and these folks are in there dining on caviar and lobster."
With protesters outside chanting "Shame! Shame!" President Donald Trump held the first fundraiser of his 2020 reelection campaign at his international hotel in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday--an event described as a "new low" by one government ethics expert.
"Anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause."
--Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar
Norm Eisen, former Obama ethics czar and chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), charged in a series of tweets Wednesday night that the $35,000-per-ticket event--from which the press was barred--violated the domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from receiving any compensation beyond the set yearly salary.
"Trump monetizes his office constantly," Eisen wrote. "But tonight's a new low: he's collecting cash from being president, from [his] hotel, and from his party."
\u201c1/ Trump Hotel fundraiser is illegal. His benefitting from leasing this US property violates the domestic emoluments clause of US Const.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c2/ And the government's refusal to enforce hotel lease term which prohibits him from operating hotel ALSO makes 2nite an illegal emolument\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
\u201c3/ So anytime he profits from the hotel, as he is doing tonight, he is violating the domestic emoluments clause.\u201d— Norm Eisen (@Norm Eisen) 1498694628
Eisen is hardly expressing a minority view. In an appearance on CNN Wednesday night, CREW vice chair Richard Painter called the fundraiser "flat out corrupt."
"This whole thing is disgusting and the American people are going to get fed up with both parties if they don't fix our government and get the corruption out," Painter said.
The event--held 40 months out from the 2020 race, the earliest any president has ever held a reelection fundraiser--was projected to raise as much as $10 million for Trump's reelection campaign and for the Republican National Committee.
As Common Dreams has reported, Trump has already been hit with a number of emoluments lawsuits by watchdog groups and state attorneys general for refusing to disentangle his presidency from his business interests. Wednesday's event is sure to spark further action.
In addition to calling attention to ethics concerns, activists also used the high-profile event to express their anger at Trumpcare, which if passed would take health insurance from 22 million people.
As Trump's motorcade pulled up to the hotel, protesters chanted "Shame!"
\u201cLoud, angry chants of SHAME as Trump's motorcade arrives @ Trump Hotel for fundraiser\u201d— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1498691275
"I knew that xenophobia, racism, and misogyny was expected but I didn't know it would cost $35,000 a plate," Michael Delvone, D.C. director for the Working Families Party, toldTime. "Twenty-two million people stand to lose their healthcare and these folks are in there dining on caviar and lobster."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.