MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Dina Titus

Interview

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MADDOW:  One thing you didn`t used to be able to do in Washington, D.C. was spend lots of money at the business that belonged to the serving president of the United States, thus lining the president`s pockets while he was serving as president, just in case you might ever need a presidential favor some time soon. 
 
But now you can do that.  We have indeed seen tons of foreign governments, for example, spending lavishly at President Trump`s D.C. hotel, which is located on a site that he leases from the federal government.  They lease rooms -- they rent rooms at his hotel.  They spend money in his hotel, and foreign dignitaries come to town to meet with his administration on official business.  They presumably think that will be noticed. 
 
And it`s not just foreign governments or foreign companies.  Today, "The Washington Post" reports that immediately after T-Mobile announced that it was seeking a merger with Sprint, a merger that would require government approval from the Trump administration, T-Mobile executives started showing up at Trump`s hotel in D.C. very quickly, over and over and over again, lots of them, renting rooms and conspicuously hanging out in the lobby, wearing their T-Mobile gear. 
 
Well, today, the internal watchdog, the inspector general at the U.S.
General Services Administration, which is the part of the federal government that is the Trump Hotel`s landlord, the inspector general there released the findings of an investigation into the decision to let the president continue his lease on that hotel, even after he became president of the United States.  The report is scathing. 
 
The I.G. says the agency`s decision-making process had serious shortcomings, saying the GSA not only failed to examine the president`s lease properly, it ignored the constitutional lease problems with him owning this hotel while serving as president.  Quote: We also found that the GSA improperly ignored the constitutional Emoluments Clauses, even though the president`s lease itself requires compliance with the laws of the United States, including the U.S. Constitution.  GSA had an obligation to uphold and enforce the Constitution.
 
But this question, this basic question about when the president`s operation of his D.C. hotel, whether it may not just be obviously improperly, it may be illegal, even unconstitutional, this is a live question right now.  Two lawsuits from state attorneys general and from hundreds of Democratic members of Congress have been making their way through the federal court system, charging that Trump is violating the Constitution with his hotel business. 
 
Well, now the internal watchdog at the agency that leases that land to him says the way the agency decided to let him continue on with that lease was roundly and manifestly improper. 
 
Joining us now is Congresswoman Dina Titus from Nevada.  She is poised to become the chair of the Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee, which is a lot of syllables, but that means pretty soon she`s about to be overseeing the GSA in Congress. 
 
Congresswoman Titus, thank you so much for joining us. 
 
REP. DINA TITUS (D), NEVADA:  Oh, it`s my pleasure.  Thank you for having me. 
 
MADDOW:  So I`ve briefly summarized what`s going on with this GSA report that they essentially, improperly considered the constitutional issues about the president`s hotel.  What do you make of this overall issue and about how this report today advances our understanding of it?
 
TITUS:  Well, as you mentioned, this is not anything new.  We have filed lawsuits against it.  We`ve had some investigations and some complaints. 
 
The press has been all over this, even camping out in the hotel lobby to see who is staying there because they`ve not been forthcoming with any information.  But when the inspector general issued this report today, it just confirmed what we know, that it`s against the Constitution, the Emoluments Clause. 
 
Now, a lot of people aren`t familiar with that term.  It doesn`t just roll off the tongue, but if you use plain language, they get it.  And to borrow from the bard, bribe by any other name would smell as foul. 
 
MADDOW:  Well, in terms of the remedy here, I mean, I read this inspector general report.  It`s long.  It`s not that hard to read, though.
 
And essentially, they said the remedy here is that, look, the lawyers at this agency never looked at the constitutional issues here.  In a word, they punted.  They decided not to consider this because they didn`t want to deal with the hassle of it.  And the remedy that the inspector general is directing here that actually there needs to be a legal assessment here.  This properly needs to be looked at by the government. 
 
As the woman who is going to be overseeing this agency in Congress more acutely than any other, does that remedy seem like enough to you?  Do you have faith if they`re directed to finally legally consider these matters, they`ll do so properly? 
 
TITUS:  Well, that doesn`t give me a lot of comfort.  They started out by saying we`ve never seen anything like this before so we don`t know what to do with it, so we just won`t do anything. 
 
I also worry about the lawsuits, because even though we may win in some lower courts, when the president has stacked the Supreme Court, I`m not too optimistic.  But in my role, and I think this will be formalized fairly soon on this committee, we will hold hearings and we will bring the inspector general in and the GSA and whoever it takes from the hotel to see if we can`t get some answers.  It`s pretty clear from the language of the lease and the language of the Constitution that this is just not something that should be happening, either legally or constitutionally. 
 
MADDOW:  And bottom line, do you think the president`s going to have to divest himself of that hotel in order to stay within the bounds of the Constitution? 
 
TITUS:  Well, I think he should.  Whether he will or not, who can say, based on the ways he`s broken other laws and told other lies, who can anticipate it?  But I certainly think this report gives us more ammunition to show that this is just being ignored. 
 
MADDOW:  Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada, thank you so much for joining us tonight.  I`m super interested in this story.  I hope you`ll come back and update us as this proceeds. 
 
TITUS:  Well, please invite me.  We sure will.
 
MADDOW:  We will do that.  Thank you very much.
 
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