Sen. Mike Lee
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Sen. Mike Lee says he will look into whether President Donald Trump has violated the U.S. Constitution by being awarded valuable trademark rights to his own name by the Chinese government.
The Republican’s statement on Feb. 21 came in response to a question posed by Utah Democratic Rep. Brian King after the Senator’s speech to the state’s House of Representatives, asking if he would investigate this.
Lee says he will review whether Trump’s action violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which bars public servants from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless explicitly approved by Congress.
The trademark news came as a surprise win for Trump after a decade of trying — and failing — to wrest the rights to his name.