US House Democrats' report reveals foreign payments of at least $7.8 million to Donald Trump's companies during his tenure

By Faruk Zorlu and Zeynep Katre Oran

Former US President Donald Trump's companies received payments of at least $7.8 million from foreign governments and government-backed entities during his tenure, according to a report by some Democrats.

Some Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee issued a 156-page report Thursday, White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump, on a 451-page document obtained from Trump's accounting firm, Mazars, and a federal agency, according to CBS News.

The report indicates that records reveal the payments from foreign governments, officials and government-backed entities to companies owned by Trump.

It alleges that the payments violated the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits federal officials, including the president, from accepting gifts or benefits from foreign governments without the consent of Congress.

"This report sets forth the records showing foreign government money - and all the spoils from royals we can find - pouring into hotels and buildings that the President continued to own during his presidency, all in direct violation of the Constitutional prohibition," Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the Committee, said in response to the report.

The report focuses on payments to four Trump-controlled businesses, including Trump hotels in Washington, Las Vegas and New York, and Trump Tower in Manhattan.

The majority of foreign payments, including nearly $5.6 million, came from the Chinese government and two state-owned entities. Other significant payments came from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.