Trump hotels won’t ask guests on use of foreign government funds

NEW YORK — The Trump Organization will not ask guests at its hotels and resorts if they are using money from foreign governments to pay their bills, setting up a possible showdown with Democrats accusing the president of violating the U.S. Constitution.

In a nine-page pamphlet made public Wednesday, the Trump Organization said that it would be “impractical” to identify all guests using foreign government money. Asking guests to identify themselves, it added, would “impede upon personal privacy and diminish the guest experience of our brand.”

The company said that it will tally up only money it takes in from those who have specifically identified themselves as working for a foreign government entity.

The statement is the first from the company to detail how it will handle foreign government business at its properties. Critics say that by not selling off his hotels and resorts, President Donald Trump is opening himself up to bribes from foreign governments. His new luxury Washington, D.C., hotel down the street from the Oval Office has been a popular venue for diplomats.

Before taking office, Trump promised to donate profits from foreign governments using his properties to the U.S. Treasury. A lawyer representing the Trump Organization had described the offer as beyond what is necessary, a way to allay concerns that Trump — wittingly or not — may profit from the presidency.

The “emoluments clause” of the Constitution says the president may not accept foreign gifts or payments without the consent of Congress. But just what the framers meant by a gift or payment is hotly disputed. The Trump Organization maintains the clause does not apply to “fair value exchanges” in which people pay for a service, like the use of a hotel room.