CREW is requesting records from the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard concerning these agencies’ transactions with businesses owned or controlled by the president and any safeguards in place to prevent the unlawful payment of domestic emoluments to the president.

Since President Trump returned to office, multiple federal agencies have purchased goods or services from Trump’s businesses. For example, DHS launched an advertising campaign to recruit ICE employees on social media platforms, including Trump’s Truth Social. The Coast Guard recently began selling alcoholic beverages from Trump Winery and Trump Cidery in stores in Washington, D.C. and Centreville, Virginia. These deals may violate the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits the president from accepting any payment beyond a salary from the federal government or any of the states. 

Additionally, public reporting suggests that the State Department agreed to hold the 2026 G20 summit at Trump National Doral. It is not clear how the agency arrived at the decision to hold the summit at a Trump resort or whether it considered the plan’s compliance with the Domestic Emoluments Clause. 

Given Trump’s net worth has increased by an estimated $3 billion since he began his second term, it’s imperative for the public to understand how Trump’s surge in wealth was enabled by using the political influence and official powers of his presidency to grow his businesses. The records that CREW requested will allow the public to assess whether Trump has engaged in unconstitutional conduct.

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