Congressman Cohen Endorses Oversight Committee Conclusion that Trump Violated Constitutional Prohibitions with Hotel Payments

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee who led early efforts to find President Trump in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clauses when Trump was in office, today welcomed the House Oversight Committee's conclusionthat Trump accepted "ethically suspect payments" through his lease of the Trump International Hotel.

As early as November 2017, Congressman Cohen cited violations of the Constitution's emoluments clauses in his H.Res. 621Articles of Impeachment against Trump. In April 2019, Congressman Cohen led a letter with 40 House membersasking Appropriations Committee members to include language prohibiting the use of federal funds at businesses owned by President Trump. In January 2020, Congressman Cohen questioned General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphyat a hearing on the GSA lease of the "Trump Old Post Office Hotel," then known as the Trump International Hotel, and questioned other witnesses at a follow-up hearing.

Legislatively, starting in 2017and continuing throughout Donald Trump's term, Congressman Cohen offered amendments to appropriations bills, expressly blocking federal funds from being used to support Trump Organization properties.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"Today's House Oversight Committee report confirms what we all knew about the grifter-in-chief and his corrupt misuse of office. Trump's undisguised, brazen and unethical behavior was on display through all four years of his presidency, and was so overt I sought Articles of Impeachment against him soon after he took office. People need to know the character of the man who seeks to return to the Oval Office. The Oversight Committee report is a damning indictment of a corrupt and unqualified fraud."

See Congressman Cohen's 2019 questioning of hearing witnesses about Trump's lease of the Old U.S. Post Office Building here and here.

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