Democratic Senators Question Belgian Diamond Industry About Ring Given to Trump
Democratic senators say the timing of a $25,000 to $35,000 ring and a later diamond tariff exemption raises bribery concerns.
- On Tuesday, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal demanded answers from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre regarding an 18-karat gold ring valued at $25,000 to $35,000 gifted to President Donald Trump weeks before a tariff exemption.
- The AWDC presented Trump with the ring on June 28 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States; four weeks later, the administration officially exempted European natural diamonds from new Section 301 tariffs on July 24.
- Senators warned the gift could violate federal bribery law and the Emoluments Clause, describing the exchange as appearing to be a "cartoonish bribe" that fits a broader pattern of executives using gifts to obtain exemptions.
- White House spokesperson Kush Desai denied the gift influenced the decision, telling MS NOW the exemption was part of a European Union trade deal signed last summer; records show that agreement made no mention of diamonds.
- Similar allegations surround exemptions granted after gifts from Apple CEO Tim Cook and Rolex executives, as Democrats develop a broad investigative strategy targeting companies surrounding Trump ahead of November congressional elections.
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Antwerp diamond sector rejects link between Trump ring and tariff exemption
BRUSSELS, Aug 13 - The Antwerp diamond sector has rejected allegations there was a link between an 18-carat gold ring encrusted with 321 diamonds recently gifted to U.S. President Donald Trump and the exemption of Europe's diamond industry from new tariffs weeks later. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Warren, Blumenthal ask if gift to Trump influenced tariff exemption for EU diamonds
Senate Finance Committee member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are pressing a Belgian diamond company for answers about an “ostentatious” ring given to President Trump shortly before his administration granted tariff exemptions for diamonds from Europe. In an Aug. 10 letter to Antwerp World Diamond Centre President Isidore Mörsel and David Gotlib, a luxury jewelry maker, the senators said the company’s decision to giv…
Dem senators accuse Belgian diamond group of ‘cartoonish bribe’ to Trump to buy break from tariffs
Two Democratic senators are pressing for answers about whether a diamond trade organization's 18-karat gold ring gifted to President Trump was a "cartoonish bribe" to obtain tariff exemptions.
US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal are investigating the gift of a special ring from the Antwerp diamond sector to President Donald Trump. According to the senators, the gift confirms that foreign companies can buy their way out of import tariff exemptions. The diamond sector denies that the ring had anything to do with the trade tariffs.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
WTVBDemocratic senators question Belgian diamond industry about ring given to Trump
WASHINGTON — Two Democratic senators are demanding answers from two Belgian firms about an 18-carat gold ring encrusted with 321 diamonds that was given to U.S. President Donald Trump weeks before the U.S. exempted Europe’s diamond industry from new tariffs. The post Democratic senators question Belgian diamond industry about ring given to Trump appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
18-carat gold decorated with 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and 6 rubies, is the gift offered by Antwerp diamondmakers to Donald Trump, in a strange context related to trade policy around the diamond sector. ...
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