@revelette2,
revelette2 wrote:
There is one exception to that rule it is something like an emoluments clause which bans:
Quote:any government official from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments, as well as laws that prohibit soliciting or accepting bribes
.
I see that you are putting special emphasis on the word "payment" and that you appear to be quoting from the clause itself. But that clause does not contain the word "payment." Here it is:
Quote:No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: 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.--ARTICLE I, SECTION 9, CLAUSE 8
According to a law professor, "he Emoluments Clause has apparently never been litigated..." One dictionary defines "emolument" as: " a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office."
Basically, the clause seems to be saying that you can't be "on the payroll" of a foreign State. Just another way of saying "bribery" is not allowed, really, only it's more specific about the source of the "bribe."
A "profit from employment or office" is not the same as a "profit" from buying a widget for $9, then selling it for $10. We, as a country, constantly "sell" things to other countries. I presume we usually make a profit, but that is not a "profit from office" or a payment for "service."
Nor is it a "profit from office" if Trump rents a hotel room to a person who is merely a citizen of a foreign state. The whole clause is primarily addressed to such things as "offices" and "titles."
The underlying idea seems pretty clear: Don't try to WORK FOR the U.S.
and another country at the same time. Selling a widget to Japan is not "working for" Japan. It is simply doing business with Japan.
Conflict of interest may create problems for other reasons, but the "emoluments clause" doesn't really seem to be applicable to any of Trump's business dealings.