title:  Former Ambassador Accuses Trump Of Violating Constitution Every Time A Diplomat Visits
text: While the Trump administration is still reeling over the fact that Special Investigator Robert Mueller has now arrested three people with close ties to the administration over its ties to Russia, there is another serious alleged violation of the law that everyone should be making bigger headlines.According to a former Ambassador from Mexico, the Trump administration is *ahem* encouraging world leaders to stay at Trump properties while they are visiting in the United States.Arturo Sarukhan, who served as Mexico s ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2013, tweeted on Tuesday that a former U.S. diplomat told him the U.S. State Department s protocol emphasizes to world leaders that they should use Trump s D.C. hotel for official visits.Sarukhan s tweet also uses the term  kakistocracy,  which means government by the worst people.Source: Think ProgressKakistocracia: ex funcionario EU me dice q Protocolo DptoEstado fue instruido a enfatizar a gobs? usar HotelTrump p/ viajes oficiales a DC  Arturo Sarukhan (@Arturo_Sarukhan) October 31, 2017If this is true, this is a clear violation of the Constitution s Emoluments Clause, which forbids U.S. officials from receiving anything of value from foreign leaders because it could lead to corruption. Of course, the ethics ship sailed away from the White House the moment Donald Trump took office, so it s pretty believable that Trump would strong-arm people to stay at his properties. He s been accused of doing it before.Back in May, someone projected  Emoluments Welcome  and  Pay Trump Bribes Here  on Trump s D.C. hotel.Had a lot of fun projecting #emolumentswelcome on Trump hotel pic.twitter.com/FlFr2ITJtj  robin bell (@bellvisuals) May 16, 2017Being projected on Trump Hotel in DC right now. #resist pic.twitter.com/RJEAqOnGgp  Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) May 16, 2017Trump is currently facing a number of lawsuits, including from members of Congress, about his violating the Emoluments Clause.In June, Think Progress said this:Trump s new downtown DC hotel has hosted embassy events for Azerbaijan and Kuwait, who switched to the Trump hotel from their original booking at the Four Seasons. The hotel hosted an annual conference sponsored by the Turkish state last month a conference that in previous years was habitually held at the Ritz Carlton. And, since Trump s election, a Saudi-backed lobbying campaign spent around $270,000 at the hotel for lodging and catering costs.When a federal official, especially the President, profits off of foreign dignitaries, conflicts abound. It s difficult to claim the moral high ground or to impose sanctions when our own government is running a pay-for-play scam, which is exactly what this is.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images