Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The House judiciary committee announced plans Wednesday to investigate President Donald Trump's proposal to host the next G7 summit at one of his resorts in Florida.
Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., the chairman of the Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, issued a statement saying Trump's suggestion that the next economic summit of the world's seven largest economies be held at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort may violate the Constitution.
"The president's personal financial interests are clearly shaping decisions about official U.S. government activities and this is precisely the type of risk that the Constitution's emoluments clauses were intended to prevent," they said.
The statement cited media reports stating Trump discussed the idea with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and further promoted the idea citing the location's proximity to the airport and other features.
Nadler and Cohen said hosting the summit at Trump's resort would implicate both foreign and domestic emoluments clauses.
"It would entail both foreign and U.S. government spending to benefit the president, the latter potentially including both federal and state expenditures," they said. "More importantly, the Doral decision reflects perhaps the first publicly known instance in which foreign governments would be required to pay President Trump's private business in order to conduct business with the United States."
Nadler and Cohen said the committee will expand its ongoing investigation on whether to recommend articles of impeachment against Trump to include potential violations related to this proposal.
"The Constitution demands that President Trump's private interests and official conduct remain separate and this latest announcement demands scrutiny by Congress," they said.
