constitutional grounds to impeach trump? definition of "emolument" is...

[msongs]

from the "Free Dicitonary" - note especially the final sentence which I have put in caps:

The profit arising from office, employment, or labor; that which is received as a compensation for services, or which is annexed to the possession of office as salary, fees, and perquisites. ANY PERQUISITE, ADVANTAGE, PROFIT, or GAIN ARISING FROM THE POSSESSION OF AN OFFICE.

[billymike]

1. it certainly seems to me

that he is already doing this, trading on his president-to-be status. And serving as a producer for NBC after he takes office!

[onenote]

9. Emoluments clause only applies where the gifts, etc. come from a "king, prince, or foreign state"

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

2. Someone needs to make a political cartoon of Ryan, McConnell, and Gingrich doing those

see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys.

Even if he violates a clause not open to interpretation, like say; murdering someone in front of cameras, they won't impeach.

[mcar]

3. K&R

[pbmus]

4. The constitutional lawyers are preparing lawsuits as we speak..

[billymike]

6. O I do hope this is true!

I suppose it would be quite a fascinating and historic project for a lawyer to tackle.

[onenote]

10. Doubtful.

At least not legitimate constitutional lawyers.

Leaving aside that there is no unanimity among scholars as to whether Trump's financial interests present an emoluments clause issue (for example, if a foreign head of state stays at one of the Trump hotels), and the general lack of any precedent to serve as a guideline, the bigger obstacle is that there is no way an individual can bring a suit to enforce the clause, just as there was no way the birthers could bring a suit against Obama.

Doesn't mean that people ought to be screaming about Trump's failure to follow historic norms when it comes to distancing himself from his business interests, but simply that the emoluments clause isn't a route by which private citizens could force him to do anything different.

[portlander23]

5. I think it's an easy case to make

But is a Republican House going to impeach Trump?

[meow2u3]

7. If there are enough moderates and anti-Trump conservatives to join the Democrats

Trump just might be impeached. Repugs, especially the religious nuts, really want Pence in; he's one of them.

[portlander23]

8. I hope you're right

But I wouldn't place our hopes for the future on the better angels of the House Republicans.

[msongs]

11. we may end up with the evil pence but at least he is predictable and rationale in his own awful way