No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
-US Constitution Article I Section 9, Clause 8
As I write these lines, President Donald Trump is soliciting foreign governments to contribute $1 billion each for a seat on his newly established Board of Peace (BOP). These funds will not be handed over to the US Treasury. Rather, they will be deposited in the board’s own bank account, where they will be under the personal control of Donald Trump, and remain his to spend as he wishes, even after he leaves office.
Thus far, the only major power to say yes to Trump’s request for billion-dollar bribes is Russia.
According to news reports Kremlin has offered to pitch in a billion, provided that its foreign fund accounts, which have been frozen to prevent them from being used to support Russia’s attack on Ukraine, are released. Asked about Putin’s offer by a reporter, Trump responded, “He’s going to join the Board of Peace and he’s going to make a contribution of a billion dollars by using his money… That’s great.”
For all practical purposes, BOP’s money will be Trump’s money.
So, in exchange for donating to the BOP, Russia will be given the funds it needs to massively expand and extend its war of aggression.
But is it fair to say that Trump, personally, will get the cash? Let’s see.
Under the board’s charter:
- Donald Trump will be the chairman of the board, in perpetuity, until and unless he decides to resign.
- As chairman, Trump will have the right to veto any decision made by the organization’s Executive Board, including all decisions made concerning spending or policy.
- As chairman, Trump will have the power to appoint or remove all other members of the Executive Board.
- As chairman, Trump will have the right to interpret the board’s charter as he chooses.
Taken together, points 1,2,3 and 4 above do indeed give Donald J. Trump – not the US president, but Trump, and Trump alone – the perpetual power to completely control the organization and dictate how it will spend its money.
For example, if Trump wants to give contracts to the Trump organization to build hotels, he will be able to do so. If he wants to pay himself, or anyone else he favors, any compensation he chooses, that will be his prerogative to do so. If he wants to use the organization’s funds to sue people he dislikes, or to buy property, goods, or services for his personal use, he will have the power to do so.
For all practical purposes, BOP’s money will be Trump’s money.
This raises some very serious questions that go well beyond Trump’s willingness to betray Ukraine.
The Constitution explicitly forbids anyone holding federal office from taking funds from foreign governments. It does so for the very sensible reason that it is unacceptable for those controlling our government to be open to bribery by foreign potentates who may well have interests that are contrary to those of the United States.
Indeed, during the era in which the Constitution was written, the Polish Commonwealth, previously a major power, was in the process of being rapidly destroyed because its government was paralyzed by members of its General Sejm, or parliament of nobles, in the pay of neighboring predatory powers. The Founders wisely insisted that America’s governmental structure should forbid any such disastrous possibilities.
Yet Trump is willing to unlock the Kremlin’s funds provided it donates $1 billion to his BOP piggy bank.
Yet here we are. As president, Trump has the power to make decisions that could greatly impact foreign interests. With the Board of Peace, he is putting those powers up for sale. This is not just a matter of who gets tariffed and who does not – as bad as that might be. There are grave national security issues involved.
Russia is not just a threat to Ukraine. Russia has more than a thousand nuclear-armed missiles aimed at the United States, and is a clear and immediate threat to our NATO allies. Yet Trump is willing to unlock the Kremlin’s funds provided it donates $1 billion to his BOP piggy bank.
This could help Russia conquer Ukraine. If it does, Russia’s material and technical war-making power would be greatly expanded, the critical strategic weakness along its southwest border that currently constrains it from attacking the Baltic States would be cured, and its armies would be advanced to the borders of NATO allies Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
While Poland might offer a fierce defense of its homeland, from this position Russia could not only readily overrun the Baltics but also have an easy march through Hungary and Austria right into the heart of Europe.
Alternatively, it might not even need to undertake such an extended invasion, since after conquering Ukraine and the Baltics, Russia would doubtlessly commit widespread massacres – as it did in Syria – for the express purpose of flooding Europe with refugees to bring the German Alternative for Germany (AfD), the French National Rally, and the rest of its puppet anti-immigrant parties to power.
Clearly, this cannot be allowed. Nor can Americans allow any other critical national security decisions to be made under such influences. Congress needs to take action.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.