Raskin demands Trump return $7.8M foreign governments paid his companies during presidency

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) went after former President Trump on Friday, demanding in a letter that he return about $7.8 million Trump’s companies received from foreign governments while he was in office.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Democrats first made the allegation in a report last week, claiming Trump’s companies accepted money from foreign entities in 20 countries and alleging the payments violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

“Your acceptance of foreign emoluments while in office was a stunning violation of the U.S. Constitution — and a profound betrayal of the interests of the United States and the trust of the American people,” Raskin wrote.

A majority of the payments, about $5.6 million, came from China and went to Trump’s hotels in Washington and Las Vegas, as well as Trump Tower in New York, the report found.

Raskin said the $7.8 million figure is incomplete and does not account for a significant portion of money Trump received. He said the investigation was curtailed by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) when he became the committee chair last January.

“Critically, the report was unable to provide a full accounting of the total amount of foreign emoluments you accepted as President, and thus, was unable to determine precisely what you owe to the American people,” Raskin wrote. “You spent years litigating against the Committee to prevent us from obtaining any documents regarding the foreign emoluments you received while in office.”

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Raskin said the countries that gave Trump’s businesses money “sought — and in many cases obtained — favors and specific policy outcomes from you and your Administration” in exchange.

The report comes as Oversight Committee Republicans investigate President Biden’s family finances, including allegations that the president’s son and brother accepted money from foreign sources in business deals. 

Raskin and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) sparred over the foreign money claims in a committee hearing on Thursday.

“There is no hotel exception, Mr. Donalds, to the foreign emoluments clause,” Raskin said. “There is no international real estate syndicate exception to the foreign emoluments clause, Mr. Donalds.”