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A report published by ‘House Democrats’ points out that, during the Republican’s term, no more than 100 gifts from foreign delegations were notified, a fact that violates the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act. On the other hand, the former president highlighted the authorization of his accounts on Facebook and YouTube; while a lawyer was called to testify in the case of the documents seized in Florida.
Donald Trump lived a hectic day this Friday, March 17. A day full of news for the former president of which he stands out an impeachment by the Democrats. The bloc issued a statement stating that during the Republican’s tenure, no more than 100 foreign gifts were reported, equivalent to a total of more than $250,000.
“Today’s preliminary findings again suggest the Trump Administration’s blatant disregard for the rule of law and its systematic mishandling of large gifts from foreign governments, including many lavish personalized gifts that far exceed the legal limit in value but were never informed,” Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
The attentions of foreign delegations must be notified to the State Department, as indicated by the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Law. In the letter, House Democrats asserted that the amount reported by Trump is lower than that revealed by past presidents.
Among the unreported items are 16 gifts from Saudi Arabia, 17 from India — noting the absence of jewelry, a vase and even a model of the Taj Mahal — and golf clubs worth thousands of dollars given by Shinze Abe, Democrats say on the House Oversight Committee.
On the other hand, a life-size painting of Trump that was commissioned by the president of El Salvador and delivered – after the request for help to send it – in the run-up to the 2020 US elections has not been found either.
According to the Democratic document, “there are no records of the disposition of the painting” with the National Archives and Records Administration and they inferred that it could have been taken to Florida in July 2021 to a Trump property.
Raskin’s letter ended by assuring that the committee “will remain committed to monitoring the facts” until the point where Trump violated the law is determined.
A Trump lawyer called to testify in the case of the Mar-a-Lago documents
A federal judge on Friday urged Evan Corcoran, a Trump lawyer, to testify about the ongoing investigation into the handling of classified documents from the former president, the chain ” reported.
Judge Beryl Howell called the lawyer after he invoked attorney-client privilege at an appearance in January, where he refused to answer questions.
“We will fight the Department of Justice on this front and on all others that endanger fundamental American rights and values,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
This is happening in a context where the former president is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination to represent the bloc in the 2024 presidential elections. Trump has accused the Department of Justice of leading “a witch hunt” against him and knocking down his political aspirations.
The case of the classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, his mansion in Florida, is the heaviest file that Trump has against him. He is also being investigated for his participation in the capture of the Capitol on January 6, 2020, among others.
Trump returns to Facebook and YouTube
The former president returned to the two social networks, which played a leading role in his political rise. “I’M BACK!” he posted on his Facebook and YouTube accounts. In the video posted on both platforms, Trump regretted “having kept them waiting.”
Alphabet Inc. reactivated the mogul’s channel this Friday. However, Meta Platforms Inc. had reinstated the Facebook and Instagram profiles earlier this year.
1/ Starting today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content. We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, while balancing the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run up to an election.
— YouTube Insider (@YouTubeInsider) March 17, 2023
“We carefully assess the continued risk of violence in the real world, while balancing the possibility of voters equally hearing major national candidates in the run-up to the election,” YouTube justified through a tweet.
The Twitter account was also revived last November after Elon Musk became the new owner, but there have been no posts there yet.
With Reuters and AP
