D.C. and Maryland to sue President Trump, alleging breach of constitutional oath

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: BlueAjah
Trumps hotels have a system set up to track foreign income and to donate it to the US Treasury.

I can't paste a link right now, but it was covered by some media.

I am curious how Obama handled tracking foreign revenue from his book(s) sales while he was president.

Anyone know? I've googled, but I am not really finding anything substantive about it.

Good question. It would be helpful to know what past president's did with foreign received monies. For example:

The U.S. Embassy in Egypt, for instance, spent $28,636 in August 2009 for copies of Mr. Obama’s best-selling 1995 memoir. Six weeks earlier, the embassy had placed another order for the same book for more than $9,000, federal purchasing records show.

About the same time, halfway around the world, the U.S. Embassy in South Korea had the same idea and spent more than $6,000 for copies of “Dreams From My Father.”

One month later, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, spent more than $3,800 for hardcover copies of the Indonesian version of Mr. Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” records show.

They don't get full price. The book companies get those. They get the author's royalty fee which is around 10-15% of the cover price AFTER they completely pay off the advance (which is repaid out of the royalty fee. The advance must be repaid before they get a royalty. So the $600 that Obama got ($900 if they were REALLY generous) went to pay back the advance that the book company paid him.)

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: introvert

No, but we can look at Obamas failed 'green initatives' and foray into 'venture capitalism' that have led to almost 2000 investigations and over 500 convictions. 80 billion in US taxpayer monies. He gave kickback to all the companies who contributed to him and to me that is much much worse.

So then you agree. It's not comparable.

As for the rest, pure deflection.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: BlueAjah
Trumps hotels have a system set up to track foreign income and to donate it to the US Treasury.

I can't paste a link right now, but it was covered by some media.

I am curious how Obama handled tracking foreign revenue from his book(s) sales while he was president.

Anyone know? I've googled, but I am not really finding anything substantive about it.

Good question. It would be helpful to know what past president's did with foreign received monies. For example:

The U.S. Embassy in Egypt, for instance, spent $28,636 in August 2009 for copies of Mr. Obama’s best-selling 1995 memoir. Six weeks earlier, the embassy had placed another order for the same book for more than $9,000, federal purchasing records show.

About the same time, halfway around the world, the U.S. Embassy in South Korea had the same idea and spent more than $6,000 for copies of “Dreams From My Father.”

One month later, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, spent more than $3,800 for hardcover copies of the Indonesian version of Mr. Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” records show.

They don't get full price. The book companies get those. They get the author's royalty fee which is around 10-15% of the cover price AFTER they completely pay off the advance (which is repaid out of the royalty fee. The advance must be repaid before they get a royalty. So the $600 that Obama got ($900 if they were REALLY generous) went to pay back the advance that the book company paid him.)

I am curious since it seems to be a big deal that Trump may receive a small percentage of monies from foreign dignitaries staying at a Trump Hotel. I just can't see the difference...can you? Obviously, Trump will not collect 100% profit on a $625 night stay by a dignitary? So, how did Obama avoid this same controversy?

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: BlueAjah
Trumps hotels have a system set up to track foreign income and to donate it to the US Treasury.

I can't paste a link right now, but it was covered by some media.

I am curious how Obama handled tracking foreign revenue from his book(s) sales while he was president.

Anyone know? I've googled, but I am not really finding anything substantive about it.

Good question. It would be helpful to know what past president's did with foreign received monies. For example:

The U.S. Embassy in Egypt, for instance, spent $28,636 in August 2009 for copies of Mr. Obama’s best-selling 1995 memoir. Six weeks earlier, the embassy had placed another order for the same book for more than $9,000, federal purchasing records show.

About the same time, halfway around the world, the U.S. Embassy in South Korea had the same idea and spent more than $6,000 for copies of “Dreams From My Father.”

One month later, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, spent more than $3,800 for hardcover copies of the Indonesian version of Mr. Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” records show.

They don't get full price. The book companies get those. They get the author's royalty fee which is around 10-15% of the cover price AFTER they completely pay off the advance (which is repaid out of the royalty fee. The advance must be repaid before they get a royalty. So the $600 that Obama got ($900 if they were REALLY generous) went to pay back the advance that the book company paid him.)

I am curious since it seems to be a big deal that Trump may receive a small percentage of monies from foreign dignitaries staying at a Trump Hotel. I just can't see the difference...can you?

Obama was required to have his book deals pass through an ethics committee beforehand. Also, the books are not Obama's property. They are a product of the publisher, which creates a degree of separation, and they cannot control whom buys the books.

In Trump's case, they cannot necessarily control whom stays at the properties, but the property is owned by the Trump organization and there is no degree of separation between Trump and the property.

That is why many ethics and legal experts were saying he needed to put everything in to a blind trust, in order to create that degree of separation.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: MotherMayEye
While looking into it, I noticed the profits from his last book, "Of Thee I Sing," published in 2010, were donated to a scholarship fund for children of fallen active military.

It one of those type scholarships where the money is paid directly to the college/university instead of the student, of course. And I can't find any specific info on recipients...but I wonder if Obama has been paid speaking fees at any of those colleges/universities that received scholarship monies?

Boy, wouldn't that be a slick way to filter the profits from that book back to himself, eh?

Do find a link, please. Multiple other reports of his "charities" say that he either donates nothing or gets someone to do a donation and then say it's his donation (and presumably takes it off his taxes.)

I was referring to Obama. Are you?

Oh. Sorry. OP referred to Trump. I thought you were talking about him. You could probably check Obama's tax returns (which are public) and find out.

His taxes don't list the recipients of the Heroes Legacy Scholarship via the Fisher House...their own tax returns don't even do that.

a reply to: introvert

Thank you for your response.

a reply to: Byrd

Regardless of the *insignificance* of amounts from royalties, any competing author would have just as valid a claim with regard to emoluments/competition as the CREW and Maryland & DC lawsuits against Trump (the Congress one has a different argument for standing).

Besides, i am just curious as to how it was handled with Obama. 'Who makes more' does nothing to advance the debate...if we all want to take it seriously. And I do.

I'd like to think any avenue for corruption is taken seriously and not on a party-vs-party basis.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: MotherMayEye

originally posted by: BlueAjah
Trumps hotels have a system set up to track foreign income and to donate it to the US Treasury.

I can't paste a link right now, but it was covered by some media.

I am curious how Obama handled tracking foreign revenue from his book(s) sales while he was president.

Anyone know? I've googled, but I am not really finding anything substantive about it.

Speaking AS someone who's authored books, he got very little.

Also, he did get significant royalties from his books while president. In 2011, alone:

President Obama earned between $250,000 and $2.1 million in book royalties in 2011, according to a financial disclosure form released Tuesday by the White House.

Exact figures are not available because the disclosure form lists only a range of income. But Obama earned between $50,000 and $100,000 in royalties for "The Audacity of Hope," his 2006 book that lays out many of his policy prescriptions. He earned between $100,000 and $1 million in royalties from each of his other two books: his memoir "Dreams From My Father," which was published in 1995 and re-released in 2004; and his 2010 children’s book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters."

Link

That may not be much to you, but even the minimum figure is a lot to me. And that was just one year!

I just want to know how foreign purchases were tracked...and i assume foreign governments could easily have U.S. banking accounts...how is any of it tracked?

My biggest fear is that the lawsuits against Trump are intentionally crafted to fail and open up a whole new era of corruption in politics by BOTH parties. That's how the two parties work together to get away with corruption.

a reply to: Mike.Ockizard

Did you literally just dismiss this whole lawsuit with imaginary math you made up in your head? Because that is ridiculously naive and dumb.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

It is fake news until it actually happens

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

So you trust that after Trump has already lied and rescinded his promise to divest from the company huh?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

How do you know he is? Because you think it is true?

originally posted by: fatkid
a reply to: Krazysh0t

It is fake news until it actually happens

No. That is not what fake news means.

a reply to: MotherMayEye

Just fyi, people don't tend to curry political favors by buying someone's book. Comparing Obama's book sales to foreign dignitaries booking Trump hotel rooms is a BIG difference. That's why no one brought up the emoluments argument during Obama's term. I hope you know that the process of the President making money isn't what the problem is. This isn't a, "well the liberals did it too!" situation as this situation is unprecedented.

Obama went from 85k a year to being worth over 20 million after leaving office. Hmmm.....Clinton is now worth over 70 million and I think I remember a story about them being broke before and AFTER leaving the White House.

Trump is the first billionaire president (JFK never inherited all of his dads money but was close) and there is no reason for him to try to make money or need to. He is only the 3rd POTUS to give his salary away. The other two were H Hoover and JFK.

It is so easy to call him a reality star when 'in reality' decades ago he said if it was ever needed he would run and win to help america and he did. Not change it. Help it along.

The last decade has sucked for our country and when we finally have an outsider who may be able to overcome all the obstacles placed there people complain. I just do not get it...

Yaaawn! More anti Trump propaganda... Some backwater government organizations that doesn't like the "new leader". Is going to bring the "power of the people " into "legal" play? Piss on six months of "the people's hard earned tax dollars " ... But rejoice! In five years under the "right leader"... A boy can be a "girl"!

a reply to: Krazysh0tall this boils down to is hotel owners in baltimore and dc crying because people would rather stay at a trump owned hotel probably because its better quality than the others so they went whining to the ag for maryland and the one for dc and they decided to sue the pres because hey lets urinate in his cornflakes because we can. willing to bet both ag are either democrats or obama appointees well maybe not the one from maryland. truly you all next will say trump killed jimmy hoffa and is the real db cooper and the killer of the lindberg baby.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Phoenix

We don't have to provide the evidence. The lawyers arguing the case do.

Witch hunts and harassment suits rarely are based on evidence -you are correct.

I think the ones bringing suit know there is no basis on "emolluent clause" but are aiming for a sympathetic judge to allow "discovery" so the left can mukrake over Trumps financial business since all the recently failed memes dropped like a brick on your toes.

a reply to: Krazysh0t
i don't know if i was king bebopptoobop from norealland and i bought a hundred thousand copies of president write in who evers book and their publisher told them i bought that amount in bulk they might be more favorable to me i would think but me and my entourage renting 10 hotel rooms at 625 a pop not so much.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: MotherMayEye

Just fyi, people don't tend to curry political favors by buying someone's book. Comparing Obama's book sales to foreign dignitaries booking Trump hotel rooms is a BIG difference. That's why no one brought up the emoluments argument during Obama's term. I hope you know that the process of the President making money isn't what the problem is. This isn't a, "well the liberals did it too!" situation as this situation is unprecedented.

I want to know how it was handled with past presidents. That would be helpful in understanding how the Courts should apply the law.

Any 'big' difference you see is exclusive to you. The Emoluments Clause makes no distinction between 'big' and 'little' violations.