Blumenthal urges Trump to obtain consent from Congress in foreign business deals

By Marissa Nobile

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) will hold a press conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C. to outline the Constitutional case for compelling President Trump to obtain the consent of Congress before accepting payments, benefits, or gifts from foreign states.

Last week, nearly 200 Members of Congress filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against President Trump, whose ongoing failure to disclose his foreign business dealings allegedly violates one of the Constitution’s critical anti-corruption provisions: the Foreign Emoluments Clause.

In the week since the complaint was filed, reports have revealed that President Trump has received additional foreign benefits – including new trademarks in China – and is working on business deals with Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.

U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Katherine Clark (D-MA) will also attend Tuesday’s press conference.

They will be joined by Elizabeth Wydra, President of the Constitutional Accountability Center, the public interest organization whose attorneys are representing Members of Congress.

The conference will be held at 12:30 p.m. at SVC-215 in the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, D.C.