House Republicans Struggle to Find Evidence Against Biden While Ignoring Trump’s Foreign Payments
House Republicans are set to begin an “impeachment inquiry” against President Joe Biden, despite struggling to find evidence that he benefited from foreign payments to his son, Hunter. However, there is no shortage of proof that former President Donald Trump received millions of dollars from foreign interests during his time in office. In fact, Trump received a total of $160 million from foreign sources, including $7.5 million from China, according to an analysis of his tax returns.
Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin pointed out that much of this money went directly into Trump’s businesses, including his golf courses, resorts, and hotels. The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., in particular, became a hub for foreign government lobbyists and officials looking to gain favor with the administration.
Surprisingly, many House Republicans have shown no interest in investigating Trump’s open selling of access as the sitting president. In fact, dozens of them spent thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars at the Trump International Hotel, effectively contributing to Trump’s personal bottom line. Republican candidates, super PACs, and committees spent a total of $2.7 million at the hotel, with all profits going directly to Trump.
Despite the clear conflict of interest, the majority of Republicans refused to criticize Trump for using his position to benefit himself. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs one of the three House committees handling the impeachment inquiry against Biden, continues to defend Trump’s acceptance of millions of dollars from interest groups through his properties.
The Trump Organization claimed that it sent profits earned from foreign entities to the U.S. Treasury during Trump’s presidency, but has refused to provide details on how those calculations were made. Critics argue that Trump’s refusal to divest himself of his properties or place them in a blind trust, as previous presidents have done, created an environment where every dollar earned at his properties directly benefited him.
Trump’s properties, including the Trump International Hotel, were frequently patronized by corporate officials and foreign delegations seeking to gain favor with the administration. For example, the government of Kuwait held celebrations at the hotel multiple times, while Romania hosted receptions for its defense minister and prime minister there. Tax documents obtained by House Democrats showed that several countries, including China, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, spent over $750,000 at the D.C. hotel to advance their national interests.
Throughout his presidency, Trump personally made 547 visits to his properties, including 33 visits to the Trump International Hotel. Other White House officials, such as Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Kellyanne Conway, also frequently visited Trump properties. According to a meticulous analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), at least 346 executive branch officials made nearly 1,000 visits to Trump’s properties while conducting government business.
In conclusion, while House Republicans are determined to find evidence against Biden, they have turned a blind eye to the clear proof of foreign payments benefiting their own party’s former president. Trump’s open selling of access and his personal enrichment from foreign interests raises serious ethical concerns that have been largely ignored by his fellow Republicans.
