The framers of the Constitution recognized the potential danger of Federal office holders receiving gifts and bribes from foreign nations in order to influence them, hence its emoluments clause. That provision has been repeatedly violated by fraudster and sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump, who retains ownership of the Trump Organization which accepts payments for properties and hotel services from foreign potentates. The payments ultimately accrue to Rump's personal wealth. Lawsuits against his criminal pursuit of financial gain while in office are being pursued by the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
With the murder last week of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a hit team apparently sent by the Saudi regime, and Rump's ambivalent response to it, there are concerns about Rump's financial ties to the corrupt Saudis which will likely influence any response he may have (money-grubbing Jared "Mr. Ivanka Trump" Kushner also has ties to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's piggy bank, as we noted yesterday). Rump's financial ties with the Saudi royals go back decades, as his frequent bankruptcies and business mismanagement required him to look for non-traditional sources -- including daddy Trump -- to keep his businesses afloat.
Rump's ties to Russian organized crime / Kremlin money is well-documented, most recently by investigative journalist Craig Unger in his book "House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia." Rump's a terrible businessman, but he knows not to bite the hand that feeds him. That holds true for Saudi princes and their courtiers who've bought millions in real estate from him, among other favors. Perhaps Unger can write a sequel: "House of Trump, House of Mohammed bin Salman: You Wash My Back, I'll Wash Yours."
(photo: Head bowed in deference to one of his financiers, Rump greets thuggish Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Nicholas Kamm/AFP)
