The report reignited debates about accountability and transparency in the conduct of past and future presidents.
House Democrats, in a recent report, revealed that former US President Donald Trump pocketed a minimum of $7.8 million from foreign governments while in office.
The report, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, highlighted payments made to Trump companies over a two-year period by 20 foreign governments.
According to Rep. Jamie Raskin, a ranking member of the Oversight Committee, this revenue came from “some of the nastiest regimes in the world.” China topped the list, contributing more than $5.5 million to properties owned by Trump, and other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, India and Afghanistan also made payments, according to the report.
Raskin said these payments violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, designed to prevent the president from accepting any form of payment or gift from foreign governments without the consent of Congress. Raskin claimed that Trump never sought such approval during his time in office.
Raskin said the $7.8 million cited in the report is only a fraction of the total foreign funds received by Trump. The payments went to properties such as Trump’s hotels in Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and New York City, benefiting him personally as he made critical foreign policy decisions.
Examples highlighted in the report include Saudi Arabia spending more than $615,400 on Trump properties, while Trump signed a $100 billion arms deal with the country in 2017.
The report is based on documents from Mazars, Trump’s former accounting firm, obtained after years of legal battles brought by Democrats. Despite facing obstacles, Democrats managed to obtain a subset of documents that shed light on Trump’s business finances during his presidency.
Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment on these allegations.
