[Congress\Emolument’s Clause]
House chairs to GSA: “Through these actions, your agency has engaged in a pattern of obstruction and obstinance that is unacceptable… We strongly encourage you to comply with this subpoena and stop placing President Trump above the U.S. Constitution .”
Photo: Wikimedia
House Democrats are accusing the GSA (General Services Administration) and its Administrator Emily Murphy with “stonewall[ing]” requests for documents relating to whether Trump is violating the Emoluments Clause by leasing the Old Post Office Building, in Washington D.C., above, which was leased to the Trump International Hotel on October 24, 2019.
Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) issued an ultimatum to the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA): either provide requested documents so the Committee can conduct its Constitutionally-mandated oversight duties, or appear before the Committee to explain at a public hearing why GSA refuses to comply.
As Chairs DeFazio and Titus have stated repeatedly, the American people have a right to know whether President Trump, who is serving as both landlord and tenant of the Old Post Office Building, is violating the Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
As Chair of the Committee, DeFazio issued a subpoena for financial records and legal memos relating to the Old Post Office Building lease to the Trump International Hotel on October 24, 2019.
Under the advice of the Office of General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Committee attempted to reach a reasonable accommodation with GSA to receive the documents, but GSA has continued to stonewall access to the majority of relevant documents.
In their letter to GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, Chairs DeFazio and Titus wrote: “Through these actions, your agency has engaged in a pattern of obstruction and obstinance that is unacceptable and damaging to GSA’s ability to manage taxpayer funds in a transparent manner. We strongly encourage you to comply with this subpoena and stop placing President Trump above the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States. If not, we look forward to directly asking you about your refusal to comply with this subpoena at a hearing early next year so that you can explain to us and the American public why you have placed the President of the United States above the law.”
