Go to the web and find an article about a law suit that deals with business ethi

Question

Go to the web and find an article about a law suit that deals with business ethics. Give a synopsis (at least 2 paragraphs) of the article, and give your opinion about the article (one paragraph). You should also include a working link to the article and any references that you use. You should not post about the same case that someone else has already posted about. Do not forget that your responses to others postings are also part of your grade. Be sure you have read the requirements as stated in the syllabus.

Explanation / Answer

Synopsis of the article "Lawsuit filed against Trump over foreign business payments."

Source: Financial Times

Author: Courtney Weaver (Washington) and John Murray Brown (London)

This article is about a law suit filed by a watchdog group of legal experts from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, against US president Donald Trump, alleging that he is in the violation of the US constitution as he is still in business with foreign governments, through his commercial real estate properties and other companies.

The orgnisation is spearheaded by some of the known legal experts like Norman Eisen, an ethics lawyer in the Obama administration, and Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for President George W Bush. And was previously headed by David Brock, a Democratic party activist and staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton.

These legal experts cited the Emoluments Clause, a provision in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, which prohibits any member of the federal government to recieve gifts, emoluments, titles and any other personal payment from any foreign government without the consent of the US Congress. Alleging that by conducting business through three direct companies owned by him, viz

he is violating the clause directly.

Since all of these businesses are directly owned by President Trump and instead of selling his businesses he has merely handed the management to two of his eldest sons, the group claims that Presiden Trump is in direct violation of the Emoluments Clause.

President Trump's lawyers have denied all the allegation, stating that the president is doing everything as mandated by the Constituiton and has agreed to handover all the profits to the treasury. To win this lawsuit the watchdog group has to prove that because of President's decision to not sell his business, they have suffered damages.

Opinion: According to my understanding of the article, I firmly believe that the President is under direct violation of the Emoluments Clause and should be charged appropriately. The fact that president Trump owns all the businesses, irrespective if he pays to the treasury or not, is proof enough to hold him responsible for the violation. No sitting president has been ever allowed to be both, the head of the nation and businnesses, Trump should not be an exception either.

Working Link: https://www.ft.com/content/231579ce-e165-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb

Note from the expert: You might have to subscribe to read the article. :)

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