More than 200 Congressional members joined together to issue 37 subpoenas Monday to multiple Trump organizations to investigate President Donald Trump’s alleged violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause that prevents the president from receiving gifts from foreign countries without Congressional approval.
After numerous legal battles and challenges to block the lawsuit, a federal judge ultimately allowed the case to proceed. The investigation is meant to shed light on any foreign entanglement or influence and to prevent any outside interference with US politics. Many alleged examples include possible investments into Trump’s foreign properties and Trump businesses being granted trademarks in foreign countries. Jerry Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee commented, “President Trump has flagrantly ignored the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, but we do not yet know the extent of his violations. We are taking an important step towards obtaining key documents to understand the full scope of Trump’s foreign business dealings. The American people deserve to know whether their President is selling them out for his own personal benefit. With each passing day, we are closer to uncovering the truth.”
Democratic Congressional members are hoping for more transparency and oversight to ensure that the President is acting within the scope of powers guaranteed by the Constitution.