Palos Verdes Congressman Ted Lieu Accuses GOP Of Turning Blind Eye to Donald Trump's Conflicts Of Interest

PALOS VERDES, CA -- Congressman Ted Lieu slams his Republican colleagues after the GOP-held House Judiciary committee on Tuesday rejected a resolution directing the Department of Justice to look into President Donald Trump's alleged conflicts of interest.

Several recent news reports suggest that the president may be violating the Foreign Emoluments Clause, wherein the president is forbidden from accepting any gifts from foreign governments. The resolution, introduced by Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler from New York, also asked the Justice Department to look into the alleged ties between the Trump administration and the Russian government. That allegation has been plaguing the president since his election.

"I am disheartened that House Republicans would oppose efforts to bring transparency to the Trump Administration’s ties to Russia and business conflicts," Lieu said. "In the past few weeks, we’ve heard of questionable interactions between Administration officials and Russian agents, yet congressional Republicans have refused to take any concrete effort to learn more about the connections."

Lieu also accused Trump of not divesting himself from his businesses, creating a conflict of interest. He said his Republican colleagues are turning a blind eye to these issues.

“The American people deserve to know the truth. We also deserve elected officials who don't shrink from their responsibilities as the people’s representatives, but do everything they can to put the interests of Americans first," he said. "Today’s debate -- or lack thereof -- suggests the contrary from my Republican colleagues."

Photo courtesy of Ted Lieu's Office