Judge Peter Mesitte of the U.S.D.C. for the District of Maryland explains what the emolument provisions of the U.S. Constitution mean. He did so in an opinion denying a motion to dismiss the complaint filed by the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland against Donald Trump individually and in his capacity as President of the United States.
Yesterday, the Inspector General of the GAO issued a report concerning the involvement of the White House in the process of determining where the new FBI building would be placed. There was an extreme amount of pressure, even rising to the level of two Oval Office meetings with Trump, to replace the current FBI building rather than to sell the site and create a unified FBI campus in Maryland or Virginia. In that regard, two points are relevant: (i) the “campus” replacement concept is more efficient and less expensive, but (ii) putting the building in the same spot as the current building would place it nearby the Trump Hotel. Since the “campus” proposal would involve selling the current FBI site, it could open the site for a competitor to the Trump Hotel.
Do you want me to explain the purpose behind the two emolument provisions or can you figure that out for yourself?
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