Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today called attention to the Committee’s release of a report on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) handling of the lease of the Old Post Office in Washington to former President Donald Trump.
Congressman Cohen has been a vocal critic of GSA’s failure to address regulations prohibiting a sitting president from benefitting from the lease of a U.S. government-owned building and its decision not to consider clear emoluments clause prohibitions on U.S. Presidents receiving things of value from foreign governments or others. He has also questioned the utilization of a confidentiality clause.
In a letter and in a January 28, 2020, hearing on the matter, Congressman Cohen questioned former GSA Administrator Emily Murphy about meeting her obligations. Today’s report underscores findings of a GSA Inspector General’s report on the agency’s failings.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Today’s report leaves no doubt that the arrangement between former President Trump and the GSA was unethical and illegal. There should be serious consequences for Trump’s Constitutional violations of the emoluments clauses but the agency that permitted them must be called to account, and reformed. Today’s report is an outrageous indictment of a federal agency willfully failing to meet its legal and ethical obligations.”
Original source can be found here.
