SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The NRCC offered supporters a chance to win a weekend in President Trump's hotel in Washington, D.C., in exchange for donations. (Photo: @LBIRobert/Twitter)
In Latest Ethics Offense, NRCC Offers Supporter a Stay in Trump's Hotel In Exchange for Donation
"Donald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency."
Nov 20, 2017
Trump critics including the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) denounced a fundraising email sent out by Congressional Republicans in Congress on Monday that appeared to add to President Donald Trump's list of conflicts of interest since he entered office in January.
\u201cDonald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency\nhttps://t.co/raaBjTxCIw\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1511200021
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) offered supporters who donated at least ten dollars to the group a chance to win a weekend in Washington, D.C. next month--including a stay at the president's hotel in the nation's capitol.
"We're sending a lucky conservative (and a friend) to our nation's capital to experience the most magical time of the year," read the email. "Get an all-expenses paid trip and stay in Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. for a weekend of Christmas magic."
Trump has been accused of profiting off of his presidency, notably by CREW, which has sued (pdf) him for illegally receiving payments from foreign governments. Foreign dignitaries have stayed in the Trump International Hotel since he was elected president, which the group says amounts to a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State," reads the clause.
The president turned over control of his business to his sons Donald, Jr. and Eric after his inauguration. But the lines between the presidency and the Trumps' real estate and hotel empire have been blurred since January.
Both sons, while not officially working in the administration, have served as surrogates for his father, with Eric giving an interview on Fox News Sunday over the weekend about Trump's national security policy.
Meanwhile, the president has plugged his properties in numerous official speeches, notably mentioning Trump World Tower in New York in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly in September and discussing his winery near Charlottesville, Virginia during a press briefing about the white supremacist rally that resulted in the death of a counter-protester ion August.
Jordan Libowitz of CREW said the NRCC's fundraising email is just the latest example of the danger of Trump's failure to completely cut ties with his business interests, placing his assets in a blind trust as his predecessors did before him.
"This is the problem with a president who refuses to divest from his businesses: Political groups allied with him will go out of their way to profit his businesses," Libowitz said in an interview with Newsweek. "There's a difference between what's technically legal and what's ethically right. Donald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency."
Other critics spoke out on social media about the NRCC's decision to bring new hotel guests into Trump's property in exchange for donations.
\u201cDROPPING ALL PRETENSE: the @NRCC is raising $ by offering donors the chance to win \u201can all-expenses paid trip & stay in @TrumpDC for a weekend of Christmas magic.\u201d\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1511136447
\u201cGot this in my email from the NRCC\rhow is this not an emoluments violation?\r#VeteransResist #TheResistance #FBI #doesanyonegiveadamnanymore\u201d— Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz (@Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz) 1511149140
\u201cSpecial.\n@NRCC padding @realDonaldTrump personal bank account. https://t.co/KCVxW884er\u201d— Randy Bryce (@Randy Bryce) 1511139800
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Trump critics including the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) denounced a fundraising email sent out by Congressional Republicans in Congress on Monday that appeared to add to President Donald Trump's list of conflicts of interest since he entered office in January.
\u201cDonald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency\nhttps://t.co/raaBjTxCIw\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1511200021
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) offered supporters who donated at least ten dollars to the group a chance to win a weekend in Washington, D.C. next month--including a stay at the president's hotel in the nation's capitol.
"We're sending a lucky conservative (and a friend) to our nation's capital to experience the most magical time of the year," read the email. "Get an all-expenses paid trip and stay in Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. for a weekend of Christmas magic."
Trump has been accused of profiting off of his presidency, notably by CREW, which has sued (pdf) him for illegally receiving payments from foreign governments. Foreign dignitaries have stayed in the Trump International Hotel since he was elected president, which the group says amounts to a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State," reads the clause.
The president turned over control of his business to his sons Donald, Jr. and Eric after his inauguration. But the lines between the presidency and the Trumps' real estate and hotel empire have been blurred since January.
Both sons, while not officially working in the administration, have served as surrogates for his father, with Eric giving an interview on Fox News Sunday over the weekend about Trump's national security policy.
Meanwhile, the president has plugged his properties in numerous official speeches, notably mentioning Trump World Tower in New York in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly in September and discussing his winery near Charlottesville, Virginia during a press briefing about the white supremacist rally that resulted in the death of a counter-protester ion August.
Jordan Libowitz of CREW said the NRCC's fundraising email is just the latest example of the danger of Trump's failure to completely cut ties with his business interests, placing his assets in a blind trust as his predecessors did before him.
"This is the problem with a president who refuses to divest from his businesses: Political groups allied with him will go out of their way to profit his businesses," Libowitz said in an interview with Newsweek. "There's a difference between what's technically legal and what's ethically right. Donald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency."
Other critics spoke out on social media about the NRCC's decision to bring new hotel guests into Trump's property in exchange for donations.
\u201cDROPPING ALL PRETENSE: the @NRCC is raising $ by offering donors the chance to win \u201can all-expenses paid trip & stay in @TrumpDC for a weekend of Christmas magic.\u201d\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1511136447
\u201cGot this in my email from the NRCC\rhow is this not an emoluments violation?\r#VeteransResist #TheResistance #FBI #doesanyonegiveadamnanymore\u201d— Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz (@Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz) 1511149140
\u201cSpecial.\n@NRCC padding @realDonaldTrump personal bank account. https://t.co/KCVxW884er\u201d— Randy Bryce (@Randy Bryce) 1511139800
Trump critics including the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) denounced a fundraising email sent out by Congressional Republicans in Congress on Monday that appeared to add to President Donald Trump's list of conflicts of interest since he entered office in January.
\u201cDonald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency\nhttps://t.co/raaBjTxCIw\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1511200021
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) offered supporters who donated at least ten dollars to the group a chance to win a weekend in Washington, D.C. next month--including a stay at the president's hotel in the nation's capitol.
"We're sending a lucky conservative (and a friend) to our nation's capital to experience the most magical time of the year," read the email. "Get an all-expenses paid trip and stay in Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. for a weekend of Christmas magic."
Trump has been accused of profiting off of his presidency, notably by CREW, which has sued (pdf) him for illegally receiving payments from foreign governments. Foreign dignitaries have stayed in the Trump International Hotel since he was elected president, which the group says amounts to a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State," reads the clause.
The president turned over control of his business to his sons Donald, Jr. and Eric after his inauguration. But the lines between the presidency and the Trumps' real estate and hotel empire have been blurred since January.
Both sons, while not officially working in the administration, have served as surrogates for his father, with Eric giving an interview on Fox News Sunday over the weekend about Trump's national security policy.
Meanwhile, the president has plugged his properties in numerous official speeches, notably mentioning Trump World Tower in New York in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly in September and discussing his winery near Charlottesville, Virginia during a press briefing about the white supremacist rally that resulted in the death of a counter-protester ion August.
Jordan Libowitz of CREW said the NRCC's fundraising email is just the latest example of the danger of Trump's failure to completely cut ties with his business interests, placing his assets in a blind trust as his predecessors did before him.
"This is the problem with a president who refuses to divest from his businesses: Political groups allied with him will go out of their way to profit his businesses," Libowitz said in an interview with Newsweek. "There's a difference between what's technically legal and what's ethically right. Donald Trump should not be personally profiting off the presidency."
Other critics spoke out on social media about the NRCC's decision to bring new hotel guests into Trump's property in exchange for donations.
\u201cDROPPING ALL PRETENSE: the @NRCC is raising $ by offering donors the chance to win \u201can all-expenses paid trip & stay in @TrumpDC for a weekend of Christmas magic.\u201d\u201d— Kenneth P. Vogel (@Kenneth P. Vogel) 1511136447
\u201cGot this in my email from the NRCC\rhow is this not an emoluments violation?\r#VeteransResist #TheResistance #FBI #doesanyonegiveadamnanymore\u201d— Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz (@Jackson Medcalf-Eichholz) 1511149140
\u201cSpecial.\n@NRCC padding @realDonaldTrump personal bank account. https://t.co/KCVxW884er\u201d— Randy Bryce (@Randy Bryce) 1511139800
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.