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TygrBright

(20,733 posts)
Sun Sep 6, 2020, 12:08 PM Sep 2020

On the gifts given to American Presidents...

There is a long and interesting history behind the giving and receiving of gifts to and by U.S. Presidents. Official policies have changed and evolved several times.

Policies on gifts to other Federal Employees are quite clear, by law the definition of "nominal value" is updated every three years so that diplomats on foreign service are clear on whether they can take a piece of gifted art with them when they leave their posting, or procurement officers in various departments, etc., have clear guidance on whether that mocha latte' brought to the meeting for them by a friendly wannabe contractor can be accepted.

But for Presidents, things are different. As their official role requires them to be the official recipient of nation-to-nation gifts, they are exempted from many of the statutory guidelines.

(The Resolute Desk, for example, was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes.)

Most recent Presidents have sidestepped the question by voluntarily following, in a modified fashion, the rules for senior officials- they accept gifts graciously with personal thanks and "on behalf of the nation" thanks, and then they are referred to the Office of Protocol at the State Department for review. Most of the really valuable ones end up in a national museum. Many of the less-valuable but interesting, quirky, somewhat 'personal' ones end up being donated to the retiring President's nonprofit Presidential Library. A few very personal ones are taken with the retiring President, the "of nominal value" ones simply noted, the more valuable ones reimbursed to the nation at market rate.

I hereby prognosticate that in January of 2021 we will see the beginning of a tedious and annoying new process in Federal law as the cleanup gets underway and our overwhelmed and weary lawmakers grapple with the stupid and hitherto-unnecessary problem of restraining a kleptocrat in Presidential office. Of which hopefully we will never have another, but...

This is why we can't have nice things, right?

exasperatedly,
Bright

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On the gifts given to American Presidents... (Original Post) TygrBright Sep 2020 OP
Interesting, informative post. Thank you. n/t Laelth Sep 2020 #1
+1 crickets Sep 2020 #5
Russia gave him an election, and he kept it soothsayer Sep 2020 #2
Right! SheltieLover Sep 2020 #4
Ebay may have some interesting items come February rurallib Sep 2020 #3
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