Emoluments were improperly ignored in examining Trump hotel lease, official finds

The inspector general of the General Services Administration has ruled the agency ignored issues raised under the Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution by President Donald Trump's business interest in the Old Post Office Building, which is now the site of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. The decision to "exclude the emoluments issues from GSA's consideration of the lease was improper because GSA, like all government agencies, has an obligation to uphold and enforce the Constitution; and because the lease, itself, requires that consideration," the inspector general said. The GSA itself said the decision not to address or consider the Emoluments Clauses occurred before the Trump administration was in office or while career officials and not political appointees were in charge. The GSA says it will adjust language of the building lease.

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