Law Expert: Trump's assertion "may be unlawful"

(13 Jun 2019) President Donald Trump's assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign ricocheted through Washington on Thursday, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments.

An expert in constitutional law told the Associated Press that the assertion is not appropriate and "it may be unlawful".  Syracuse University College of Law Professor William C. Banks says "as a legal matter the law forbids accepting campaign contributions from foreign entities or anything of value."

Banks said, "the law here on just receiving information is a little bit murky because someone would have to determine whether the information that he received is of value. You would think that in the circumstances of the 2016 election or an upcoming 2020 election, information about an opponent would be of value and therefore unlawful."

He went further to say, "it turns on whether what he's heard is of value or if it's of value and it has an impact on his campaign. If his campaign is going to use that information, then he's violated the campaign finance laws."

Trump seemed to dismiss the threat posed by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, one that led to sweeping indictments by special counsel Robert Mueller, and his incendiary remarks come as congressional investigations into the meddling have quickened.

Asked by ABC News what he would do if Russia or another country offered him dirt on his election opponent, Trump said: "I think I'd want to hear it." He added that he'd have no obligation to call the FBI. "There's nothing wrong with listening."

Meanwhile, a federal watchdog agency is recommending that President Trump fire one of his most ardent defenders, counselor Kellyanne Conway, for repeatedly violating a law that limits political activity by government workers.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said in a letter to Trump that Conway has been a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.

Professor Banks said, "There's very little question on the basis of what the inspector general found that Miss Conway violated the Hatch Act multiple times."



Find out more about AP Archive:

Twitter:

Facebook:

Google+:

Tumblr:

Instagram:





You can license this story through AP Archive:

AP Archive,4215783,3d4179a1804e59868ba8a2cbc49795d5,US Trump Foreign Intel Analysis,Syracuse,New York,United States,Russia,Eastern Europe,Robert Mueller,Donald Trump,Kellyanne Conway,Business,Government and politics,Social affairs,United States presidential election,United States general election,