(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's pitch for his Doral golf resort in Miami as the site for next year's G-7 summit of world leaders will be probed as part of the House Judiciary Committee's inquiry into potential impeachment articles.
“The committee will broaden its ongoing investigation to include these latest revelations and will take further investigative steps, including scheduling hearings and requesting additional documents from the White House,” Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday.
Nadler said holding the summit at the president's resort would violate the Constitution's ban on any foreign “emolument” to a president. He said it would reflect “perhaps the first publicly known instance in which foreign governments would be required to pay President Trump's private businesses in order to conduct business with the United States.”
He said Trump's remarks on Monday “are of significant interest and grave concern to the committee as it considers whether to recommend articles of impeachment.”
There was no immediate response from the White House.
Read more: Trump Pitches Luxury Miami Property for Next G-7: His Own
The U.S. is next in the rotation to host the annual Group of Seven meeting of world leaders, which will occur in the middle of the 2020 presidential campaign.
Trump promoted the idea that his Doral resort host next year's summit during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, during this year's summit in Biarritz, France. He boasted that “it's very big,” that “each country can have their own villa, or their own bungalow,” and it's in Miami “so it's a great area.”
“I don't want to make any money,” Trump added the same day at a news conference. He said he's losing $3 billion to $5 billion in his private business by serving as president.
The president has already faced criticism from ethics experts and multiple lawsuits over his continued private business holdings, such as the Trump International Hotel in Washington.
Nadler has said he anticipates a decision by the end of the year on whether the Judiciary Committee will bring articles of impeachment. The panel is examining allegations of obstruction of justice, public corruption and other abuses of power.
To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Larry Liebert
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
