An interesting segment on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews says political spending at Trump’s properties has spiked 50 fold, from $119,000 during the 2011-2014 period to $5,600,000 during the 2017-2019 period. What’s even more troubling is that one Republican from California who is running for Congress essentially admitted that his fellow Republicans look at their Trump property spending as a bribe. He said, “When you have an event there or do something there, it signifies that you are supporting the president, and supporting what he is doing…It sends a clear message.” There is no other way to read this statement other than Republicans are spending money at Trump’s properties to buy favors from him–essentially bribing him. This kind of corruption which we see in third world dictatorships must never be tolerated here in the U.S.
It also turns out according to the Hardball segment that so far 90 Members of Congress have made a total of 188 visits to Trump’s properties and 250 Trump administration officials have made a total of 630 visits. In addition to this some 110 foreign officials from 60 countries have patronized Trump’s properties. Trump as we know has yet to fully divest from the said properties meaning he is flagrantly violating the emoluments clause of the U.S. constitution.
Bottom line folks, as Yours Truly has repeatedly stated before, the brazen corruption of the Trump administration is not normal and the only way we can prevent him and his cronies from normalizing it is if we scream about it. We must not allow this third world style corruption exhibited by Trump and his GOP to go unchallenged.
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