Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is introducing anti-corruption legislation aimed at putting new checks on the White House.
The package of bills, shared first with MS NOW, responds to what Democrats see as a rampant corruption within the Trump administration.
“We are in a new age of political corruption, where that’s the entire point of some politicians taking office,” Raskin told MS NOW.
“Donald Trump’s political corruption is not peripheral or marginal. It is the central object of the entire administration,” the Maryland Democrat continued.
“We need to build up the legal infrastructure to combat that kind of wholesale takeover of the government for purposes of financial self-enrichment,” he said.
The sweeping package of bills stands little chance of clearing the GOP-controlled Congress or being signed into law by President Donald Trump. But the proposal could serve as a preview of Democratic legislative priorities should they win control of either congressional chamber in the November midterm elections.
Democrats, of course, are making fighting corruption a key plank of their election message.
Raskin calls the proposal a “small, modest down payment” in Democratic efforts “to try to rebuild and fortify democracy.”
The package touches on everything from the presidential pardon power to foreign meddling in U.S. elections.
All told, the bill has 93 co-sponsors, including co-leads Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., previously introduced an earlier iteration of the legislation when he was a member of the House, and is now the leader of the companion bill on the Senate side.
On the question of potential presidential civil or criminal culpability — an issue which became front and center during the four years between Trump’s two terms when he was indicted four times — Raskin’s proposal bars a president from issuing a self-pardon.
It makes it so a president or vice president’s tenure in office does not count toward the statute of limitations for “any Federal criminal offense committed by that person.” And it bars a sitting president from dismissing an active criminal prosecution against themselves.
To avoid potential political interference in Department of Justice actions, Raskin’s proposal also would require the Attorney General to maintain a log of interactions between the White House and the DOJ — specifically certain communications about potential or ongoing investigations targeting key administration officials, including the president, or a former president.
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And the bill would bar corporate executives from serving in the executive branch if they have been convicted of financial or corruption crimes.
Amid questions of self-enrichment and profiteering by the Trump family during his presidency, the bill aims to amp up enforcement of restrictions on emoluments — in other words, the acceptance of gifts and payments from foreign governments and domestic institutions.
The bill also would mandate that the president disclose to Congress payments they received from individuals who were granted clemency or given a presidential pardon. The same would apply for individuals the president appoints to positions requiring Senate confirmation.
“No president in American history has bulldozed the Foreign Government Emoluments Clause like Donald Trump,” Raskin said. “Trump has never come to Congress, but has been bringing back just sacks of gold from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Egypt, you name it,” Raskin said.
“There are whole new forms of political and financial corruption that have emerged in the Trump era,” Raskin added.
The White House has repeatedly dismissed accusations of any self-dealing.
The bill also aims to improve congressional oversight of the White House and executive branch by enhancing penalties against individuals who do not abide by congressional subpoenas.
The legislation would create a new Inspector General position monitoring the Executive Office of the President (mirroring the offices which already exist at other federal agencies). And it would boost protections for whistleblowers who decide to share information with Congress.
When it comes to elections, the measure also would require campaign committees, such as political action committees (PACs) and super PACs, to report to the FBI and Federal Election Commission any attempts by foreign governments and foreign political parties to influence U.S. elections — with the FBI sharing such reports to Congress annually.
Notably, Raskin’s proposal also would require presidents, vice presidents, and major party candidates for those positions to release their 10 most recent federal income tax returns.
Kevin Frey is a congressional reporter for MS NOW.