In the News

Jessica Taylor and Peter Overby

Officials leasing the Old Post Office Building for the the Trump International Hotel in Washington improperly ignored the Constitution's anti-corruption clauses when they continued to lease the government property to President Trump even after he won the White House, according to an internal federal government watchdog.

The Inspector General for the General Services Administration, the agency that leased the building to Trump in 2013, said in a report published Wednesday that agency lawyers decided to ignore the constitutional issues when they reviewed the lease after Trump won the 2016 election.

"The GSA Office of General Counsel recognized that the President's business interest in the lease raised issues under the U.S. Constitution that might cause a breach of the lease, yet chose not to address those issues," said Inspector General Carol F. Ochoa. "As a result, GSA foreclosed an opportunity for an early resolution of these issues and instead certified compliance with a lease that is under a constitutional cloud."

Neither the White House nor the Trump Organization have responded to interview requests.

"Today, the GSA OIG confirmed what we all knew: The Trump Administration is in violation of the Emoluments clauses of the United States Constitution," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., in a statement. "GSA's decision to not consider whether the President's business interest in the Old Post Office lease might be unconstitutional has enabled the President to line his pockets."

This issue has raised many legal issues throughout Trump's tenure so far and produced several lawsuits. One of lawsuits advancing through the legal system is from the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia, who argue Trump is illegally profiting off his presidency. Subpoenas in that case went out last month.

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/16/685977471/federal-watchdog-finds-government-ignored-emoluments-clause-with-trump-hotel