(TargetLiberty.org) – On Tuesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) brought forward legislation that would target federal officials who accept payments from foreign governments, something which is restricted by the constitution.
The bill introduced by Raskin is going to expand the Emoluments Clause reach by also limiting federal elected officials and high-ranking appointees from being able to accept payments of this sort not only during their time in office but also for two years after they leave office.
The Constitution already specifies that Congress needs to provide permission before any officials, including the U.S. president, are able to benefit from any profits provided by a foreign government. However, during the first Trump administration, the House Oversight Democrats had documents that there had been funds received from close to 20 different countries which amounted to close to $8 million.
Raskin who is the committee’s top Democrat had slammed former President Donald Trump for accepting the funds without even trying to receive the necessary consent from the U.S. Congress. He added that while they have not had to develop legislative machinery for the enforcement of the Emoluments Clause in the past two centuries, it is now clear that Congress needs to take action to block any future presidents from exploiting their office to gain personal financial benefits. He added that foreign governments were using these funds to receive special policy favors during the Trump administration.
However, despite the new restrictions the bill does not make any changes on the reporting of foreign payments.
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