"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Emoluments

Even the DOJ is living in an alternate universe under the Trump regime:


As The Hill reported, DOJ lawyers have sought to have the lawsuit thrown out, contending  “that the foreign emoluments clause doesn’t apply to ‘fair-market commercial transactions’ like payments for hotel rooms and golf club fees.’”

The DOJ further asserted that CREW, as well as other plaintiffs, “lack legal standing to bring the case against Trump,” citing that ‘Congress, not the court system, should determine whether Trump is in violation” of the clause our forefathers designed to protect the country.

“Neither the text nor the history of the Clauses shows that they were intended to reach benefits arising from a President’s private business pursuits having nothing to do with his office or personal service to a foreign power,” the DOJ contended in its 70-page legal brief.

First off, there is the matter of "fair market" transactions: can anyone (aside from Trump's lawyers) assert with a straight face that the buyers knowing that the facility belongs to the president of the United States has no effect on the market? (Remembering that membership fees to Mar-a-Lago doubled after the election.) Can you say "bullshit"?

I am sure, however, that they really want Congress to handle this. That's the best way to make sure nothing happens.

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