In a bombshell revelation, the Oversight Democrats released evidence on Friday showing that former President Donald Trump and his family failed to report nearly $300,000-worth of gifts they received from foreign governments.
The report, based on White House records that the committee requested from the National Archives last June, identified 117 undisclosed foreign gifts received by the former president, former first lady Melania Trump, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.
Trump has not responded to the foreign gifts report, but he did predict that he will be arrested on Tuesday because the Manhattan District Attorney’s office plans to indict him for alleged hush money payments he made while he was a presidential candidate in 2016.
The disclosure, which was based on an investigation by the House Oversight Committee, raises serious questions about the Trump family’s compliance with federal ethics rules and the potential influence of foreign governments over the former president.
According to the report, Trump and his family members, including his children Ivanka, Don Jr., and Eric, received numerous gifts from foreign governments during their time in the White House, including expensive jewelry, artwork, and other luxury items. These gifts were not properly reported on financial disclosure forms, as required by law, and in some cases were not disclosed at all.
The report also reveals that the Trump family accepted gifts from several foreign governments with a history of human rights abuses, including China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In one instance, Ivanka Trump reportedly received a diamond and emerald necklace from the Saudi Arabian government worth approximately $130,000.
The president and his family are not allowed to personally keep gifts worth more than $415 from foreign governments and instead must accept them on behalf of the United States. Such gifts, which must be publicly disclosed, are then turned over to the National Archives.
The failure to properly report these gifts is a clear violation of federal law, which requires public officials to disclose any gifts they receive from foreign governments worth more than $390. The law is intended to prevent public officials from being unduly influenced by foreign interests and to ensure transparency in government.
After Trump left office, the State Department reported that it was “missing items of a significant value”, finding that a “lack of accurate recordkeeping and appropriate physical security controls contributed to the loss of the gifts.”
A later report also said that the president’s office had failed to provide a foreign gift listing for 2020.
Click here to read the report.
Click here to read the list of unreported gifts received by former President Trump.
Click here to read the list of unreported gifts received by former President Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump.
Click here to read the list of unreported gifts received by former First Lady Melania Trump and her child.
Click here to read the list of unreported gifts received by Jared Kushner.
Click here to read the list of unreported gifts received by Ivanka Trump and her children.
Click here to read the list of additional unreported foreign gifts from GSA’s records.
Click here to read additional documents and communications.
Click here to read the letter to the State Department.
In a statement, House Oversight Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin condemned the Trump family’s actions, saying that “Today’s preliminary findings suggest again the Trump Administration’s brazen disregard for the rule of law and its systematic mishandling of large gifts from foreign governments, including many lavish personalized gifts that vastly exceed the statutory limit in value, but were never reported—some that are still missing today.”
Raskin called for the Department of Justice to hold the Trump family accountable for their apparent violations of federal law.
The revelations come as Trump continues to face legal challenges and investigations into his business practices and financial dealings.
Last year, the New York Times reported that Trump had paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and that he had significant debts and financial liabilities.
The Trump family has yet to respond to the Oversight Committee’s report, but the former president has previously dismissed similar allegations as “fake news.”
However, the evidence presented by the committee appears to be extensive and well-documented, including photographs and receipts of the gifts in question.
Legal experts say that the failure to report these gifts could have serious consequences for the Trump family, including fines and even criminal charges.
If the Department of Justice were to pursue charges, it would be a significant development in the ongoing investigations into Trump’s conduct and could have far-reaching implications for his future political ambitions.
The Trump family’s apparent disregard for federal ethics rules and the potential influence of foreign governments over the former president is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of our political system.
The American people deserve to know that their elected officials are acting in their best interests, not the interests of foreign powers, and that they are held accountable for any violations of the law.
“If the president doesn’t comply with the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, it just becomes the Foreign Grifts Act and masks potential violations of the Constitution’s foreign Emoluments Clause, which was the Founders’ essential antidote to bribery by princes, kings and foreign powers,” said Raskin.
“We remain committed to following the facts to determine the extent to which former President Trump broke the law or violated the Constitution when he failed to report gifts and took possession of valuable items without paying the fair market price for them,” said Raskin.
The evidence paints a disturbing picture of the Trump family’s conduct while in office and underscores the need for greater accountability in our government.
As the investigations into Trump’s conduct continue, it is important to remember that no one is above the law.
Public officials, regardless of their position or power, must be held accountable for their actions and held to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Anything less undermines the trust and faith that the American people have in our government and erodes the very foundations of our democracy.
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