Trump says his businesses got money from foreign governments because he was 'doing services' for them ( www.businessinsider.com )

Donald Trump says his businesses received payments from foreign governments because he was "doing services" for them.

Trump was at a Fox News town hall on Wednesday, commenting on a recent report from Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee. The report, published on January 4, said Trump's businesses had received at least $7.8 million in foreign payments during his presidency.

"That's a small amount of money. You know, it sounds like a lot of money. That's small," Trump said at the town hall.

The former president then explained that the payments were for accommodation at his clubs and hotels.

IzzyScissor ,

So, openly admitting it was "quid pro quo". Cool.

Goferking0 ,

Unfortunately for his supporters and the GOP it's only that when the exact words are used/said out loud

Cethin ,

I don't want to defend Trump, but If I understand what he said correctly, then yes but because all business is quid pro quo (this for that). You don't do business for free. The argument is whether they did business with him to influence him. That's where it becomes illegal.

Trump has done plenty wrong that we don't need to grasp for straws. Getting paid for "work" is the way capitalism functions. It's always "I'll give you this for that" and that's not illegal or even wrong usually.

dhork ,

I don't see the bit in

And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, 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.

That says "unless it's a business transaction, that's just fine"....

Cethin ,

Sure, I don't totally disagree, but it should be required that they dissolve any holdings in any company, or that interpretation is just "they can't run or have an interest in any business." Even just holding a stock in a company, especially one paying dividends, would break that in the most strict interpretation.

The point is this isn't the hill to die on. This is minor compared to everything else he's done.

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Money laundering for foreigners has been the basis of the Trump Inc business model since the 1980s. Hell, I think this goes back to his father's rise to fortune back in the 1950s, even.

Like, yeah. He's a crook. But he's the kind of crook this country has been gleefully manufacturing and showering with praise for their genius and entrepreneurial spirit and innovative efforts for over a century.

If he'd been a bit smarter and a bit more ambitious, he could have been a Bernie Madoff or a Sam Bankman Fried, even.

frickineh ,

Fuckin Donald Adultman over here, doing a business. This is the worst goddamn timeline.

JustMy2c ,

I must be from another time line, because here nobody sane would call that crybaby 'Adultman'

JustMy2c ,

Ow sorry it's root is adultery, not 'adult'? Ok, makes sense now!

frickineh ,

No it's from Bojack Horseman. Vincent Adultman is multiple kids in a trenchcoat and he always says he's doing a business.

jordanlund Mod ,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

For those wondering why this is a big deal:

US Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8:

"no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, 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:

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/emolument#Noun

emolument (plural emoluments)

(formal) Payment for employment or an office; compensation for a job, which is usually monetary. synonyms ▲quotations ▼Synonyms: compensation, fee, payment, remuneration

billwashere ,

For fucks sake, they made Jimmy Carter give up a damn peanut farm, but not the orange chucklefuck who has a DC Hotel…

no way that was used to buy access or influence… none at all /s

athos77 ,

The former president then explained that the payments were for accommodation at his clubs and hotels.

Like the ones where they could meet with official and unofficial members of the trump administration? Or the ones where top secret material was stored in a ballroom and later a bathroom?

NegativeLookBehind ,
@NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social avatar

Trump: Yeah, I fuckin did it. So what? What are you gonna do?

DOJ: Um, well, you shouldn’t do mean stuff, um, HELP

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

"Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal"

NegativeLookBehind ,
@NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social avatar

Biden: “Seal Team 6, mobilize. Target: Mar-a-lago”

AutistoMephisto ,
@AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world avatar

Yes. They want to claim that "POTUS is King and therefore can do no wrong."? Okay. Let's test them to see how true that is. Sure would be a shame if a couple Tomahawks were let off the chain and Mar-a-Lago happened to be the target and Trump happened to be there.

Pistcow ,

dont neglect the balls

pottedmeat7910 ,

I love it when he just stands up there and blithely admits to all the crimes and then nothing happens.

autotldr Bot ,

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Trump was at a Fox News town hall on Wednesday, commenting on a recent report from Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee.

The report, published on January 4, said Trump's businesses had received at least $7.8 million in foreign payments during his presidency.

Foreign governments and government-controlled entities had made payments to Trump's hotels in Washington, Las Vegas, and New York.

"President Trump never sought or received Congress's approval to keep these foreign payments, as the Constitution requires," the authors wrote.

Trump was indicted in four separate prosecutions last year and faces 91 criminal counts, ranging from falsifying business records to election interference.

Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, and recent polls suggest a close fight between him and President Joe Biden.

The original article contains 319 words, the summary contains 126 words. Saved 61%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

“That’s a small amount of money. You know, it sounds like a lot of money. That’s small,” Trump said at the town hall.

So he's a cheap bribe.

RedditWanderer ,

He just means it's a small amount of money for billionaires. They paid outrageous markups.

The joke is he completely misses the point that he shouldn't have used his private businesses to host foreign government officials, or to conduct official business. That's a conflict of interest in itself no matter how much they spent.

psmgx ,

Lol he's not a billionaire

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

What's the difference between a guy who got a billion dollars the hard way, selling cocaine down in Florida, and the guy who got it the easy way, by scamming a bunch of dumb shit bankers to extend him loans on extremely shady terms and using the credit to speculate in foreclosed golf courses and failing casinos?

It all spends the same, either way.

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