The Atlantic: “In the years before the Constitution was written, two of the most famous figures of the American Revolution were caught up in controversy over fears of undue foreign influence caused by their receipt of opulent gifts from European kings. One was a gold snuff box encrusted with 408 diamonds that King Louis XVI of France gave to Benjamin Franklin. The other was a horse, given to John Jay by the King of Spain. Both of these gifts were publicly reported to the new Confederation Congress, and despite vocal public objection, both men kept the gifts. The controversies were still ripe in the minds of American leaders when they soon went to draft a new constitution. They worried that large and valuable gifts might inappropriately influence American officials in their dealings with foreign states—that a snuff box or a horse could psychologically warm a person to another country, distorting his ability to put America’s interests first. To prevent that distortion, the drafters made anti-corruption provisions a cornerstone of the new constitution. Indeed, if the frequency of their attention to a particular issue is a measure of how significant their concern was, then few issues were as alarming to them as corruption, which the original Constitution explicitly addresses in four separate instances—plus a fifth that was later added. President Donald Trump’s instinct for self-enrichment is a horrific exemplar of what the Founders hoped to prevent: a president profiting from public office. Trump’s ventures—intending to accept the gift of a Qatari jet, profiting from the sale of a self-referential cryptocurrency, auctioning off a chance to have dinner with him—all reflect his disregard for the Founders’ concern. Two of the Constitution’s efforts to restrict conflicts of interest are direct and distinct prohibitions on profiteering by the president. One of these (in Article II, Section 1) was an absolute ban on domestic gifts to the president: Aside from compensation for his service, “he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.” Emolument, a word first recorded in the 15th century, signifies a “profit or gain arising from station, office, or employment.” That is, making money off one’s position by, say, selling favors to fellow citizens (for example, the opportunity to dine with the president) is expressly prohibited.The second prohibition (in Article I, Section 9) was conditional. Presidents may not “accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” without Congress’s consent. In other words, the answer to the offer of a personal gift (such as the use of an airplane either during or after presidential service) is a constitutionally required “no,” unless Congress affirmatively authorizes it. Rejecting a gift is not “stupid,” as Trump suggested—it’s required by the law of the land, and for good reason. In addition to these direct limitations on presidential conduct, also notable is that the impeachment clause (Article II, Section 4), which generally authorizes impeachment for “high crimes and misdemeanors” names two (and only two) crimes specifically as grounds for impeachment: treason and bribery—receipt of a gift in exchange for an official act. Not all gifts are bribes, but some are, and those would be grounds for removal from office…”