Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution:
No American officeholder shall, “without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, OF ANY KIND WHATEVER, from any king, prince, or foreign state.”
Emolument:
The returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites.
Examples of emolument in a Sentence
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the annual emolument for the director of the charity is officially only one dollar.
Merriam Webster
As the example indicates, an “emolument” can even by as simple as symbolic compensation.
The South China Morning Post reported last week that the Chinese government will provide $500 million in state loans to build MNC Lido City, a resort and theme park project in Indonesia that will include a golf course and hotels marked with the Trump name. A licensing agreement making EMOLUMENTS to the TRUMP Organization.
President Trump’s last name has been licensed to at least 50 different licensing or management deals according to a Washington Post analysis of his financial disclosures from 2015 and 2016. These deals are linked to properties that bear the Trump name — contracts that have earned his [TRUMP] companies at least $59 million in revenue.
The Washington Post
A mere 72 hours later, Trump ordered a bailout for a Chinese-government-owned cellphone maker ZTE. Who is ZTE?
ZTE phones have already been described as a security risk by the U.S. military and intelligence community. Two weeks ago, the military banned their use on bases for fear they could be used to track the locations of service members.
The company, which is owned 33 percent by Chinese-government-owned enterprises, had been fined $1.2 billion last year after it was found to be violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. After it was determined that ZTE officials had lied about their actions, the U.S. government last month banned it from purchasing U.S. components for seven years — a decision that essentially forced the company to shut down.
The Huffpost
We are talking about a LAW ENFORCEMENT matter here. Trump tries to explain his action away by basically winking and saying trust me. “Be cool, it will all work out!” Wow, that makes me feel better for sure.
And:
The deal is reflective of Trump’s “PERSONAL” relationship with the President of China? Well, after the Chinese government puts a half BILLION dollars into a project of Trump’s PERSONAL business, I guess I can see what Trump means.
Then, another Trump “justification” for this extraordinary action is “Too many jobs in China lost.” OK, Trump voters, getting your money’s worth yet?
OK, even IF Trump's action WRT ZTE is not direct influence peddling, it IS a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments clause.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that he believes President Trump is violating the Constitution's emoluments clause by making a deal with Beijing over Chinese telecommunications company ZTE.
“I certainly view this as a violation of the emoluments clause, yes. And many others as well, both foreign, in terms of the business effort to expand the Trump Organization,” Schiff told CNN’s “New Day,” referring to a constitutional clause that bars the president from accepting payments or gifts from foreign governments without congressional consent.
The Hill
The Constitution is clear — NO foreign emoluments (payments/compensation) of ANY KIND. These payments don’t need to be shown to be “pay for play.” Trump is receiving money from FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS for name licensing services.
So, in ADDITION to any impeachment articles based on crimes the Mueller investigations reveals, Trump’s clear refusal to live up to his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” SHOULD be one.
When questioned about the ZTE “deal” in relation to the Chinese investment in a Trump Organization business, White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah basically said go ask the Trump Organization. But Mr. Shah, you are speaking for the President who IS the Trump Organization. Sort of see the issue here dude? Let’s hope the VOTERS do come this Nov.