Trump in Trouble?
Reading the following text carefully, then answer the comprehension questions below as fully as you can.
Saudi Arabia and China were among 20 foreign governments that spent at least $7.8mn in total at properties owned by Donald Trump while he was president, according to a report released by congressional Democrats on Thursday.
China’s government and state-owned entities were by far the heaviest spenders at the former president’s properties, the report said, paying $5.5mn at Trump-owned premises in New York, Washington, and Las Vegas. Saudi Arabia and its royal family spent more than $600,000.
The findings are the culmination of a years-long probe by House Democrats into whether Trump personally profited from his time in public office. The former president is currently the clear frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary race.
The 156-page report found that alongside China and Saudi Arabia, state-linked entities from Congo, Malaysia, Albania, and Kosovo spent money at Trump hotels and apartments. The investigation relies upon documents obtained from Mazars, Trump’s former accounting firm.
Qatar spent more than $460,000, and Kuwait more than $300,000, the report says.
The spending in 2017 and 2018 occurred as Trump launched and then de-escalated a trade war against Beijing, before striking out at China again during the coronavirus pandemic.
It also coincided with Trump signing a $110bn arms deal with the Saudi government and the subsequent killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and columnist for The Washington Post, in an operation the US intelligence community has said was approved by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman.
Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee and a House manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial, said the figures were only a “fraction” of the actual spending by foreign entities at the former president’s properties, and covered just the first two years of his presidency and a small number of his businesses.
“By elevating his personal financial interests and the policy priorities of corrupt foreign powers over the American public interest, former President Trump violated both the clear commands of the constitution and the careful precedent set and observed by every previous commander-in-chief,” wrote Raskin.
“It is true that $7.8mn is almost certainly only a fraction of Trump’s harvest of unlawful foreign state money, but this figure in itself is a scandal and a decisive spur to action,” Raskin added.
James Comer, the top Republican on the oversight committee and a leader in the Biden impeachment inquiry, said it was “beyond parody” that Democrats were investigating Trump.
The Bidens “and their associates” made millions more from shady countries without providing anything but access to Joe Biden, Comer claimed. “Former President Trump has legitimate businesses but the Bidens do not.”
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization, the former president’s family business, noted that the Chinese bank cited in the report had signed a lease in Trump Tower in New York in 2008, eight years before Trump was elected president.
“The narrative is insane, especially given there is no president in United States history who was tougher on China than Donald Trump,” the spokesperson added.
Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner in a shrinking field of Republicans vying for the party’s nomination for president ahead of the general election in November. A spokesperson for Trump’s presidential campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Comprehension Questions
A
What is the main focus of the report released by congressional Democrats regarding Trump's properties?
According to the report, which foreign government and state-owned entities were the heaviest spenders at Trump-owned properties?
Name three other countries mentioned in the report that spent money at Trump hotels and apartments.
When did the spending by foreign governments at Trump's properties, as mentioned in the report, take place?
What significant events coincided with the foreign spending, according to the report?
According to Jamie Raskin, what does the $7.8mn figure represent?
How did James Comer criticize the Democrats' investigation into Trump?
What argument did a spokesperson for the Trump Organization present in response to the report?
Despite the controversies mentioned, what is the current political status of Donald Trump?
How does the spokesperson for the Trump Organization respond to the allegations in the report, particularly regarding the Chinese bank's lease in Trump Tower?
B
Vocabulary: Define the term "heaviest spenders" as used in the passage.
Grammar: Identify the tense used in the sentence, "Saudi Arabia and China were among 20 foreign governments that spent at least $7.8mn."
Synonyms: Find a synonym for "culmination" as used in the sentence, "The findings are the culmination of a years-long probe by House Democrats."
Collocations: Identify the collocation in the sentence, "Trump launched and then de-escalated a trade war against Beijing."
Sentence Structure: Rewrite the sentence, "China’s government and state-owned entities were by far the heaviest spenders at the former president’s properties," using an alternative structure.
Word Form: Change the word "coincided" in the sentence, "It also coincided with Trump signing a $110bn arms deal," to its noun form.
Connectors: Identify the connector in the sentence, "The findings are the culmination of a years-long probe by House Democrats into whether Trump personally profited from his time in public office."
Pronouns: Replace the pronoun "it" in the sentence, "It is true that $7.8mn is almost certainly only a fraction of Trump’s harvest of unlawful foreign state money," with the appropriate noun.
Adverbial Phrases: Identify the adverbial phrase in the sentence, "The spending in 2017 and 2018 occurred as Trump launched and then de-escalated a trade war against Beijing."
Comparatives: Compare the spending by China and Saudi Arabia at Trump's properties using a comparative structure.
Answers
A
The main focus of the report is to investigate whether Trump personally profited from his time in public office.
China's government and state-owned entities were the heaviest spenders at Trump-owned properties.
Congo, Malaysia, Albania, and Kosovo are three other countries mentioned in the report.
The spending took place in 2017 and 2018.
The spending coincided with Trump launching and de-escalating a trade war against Beijing, as well as the signing of a $110bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Jamie Raskin believes that $7.8mn is only a fraction of Trump's unlawful foreign state money, but the figure itself is a scandal.
James Comer criticized the investigation as "beyond parody" and claimed that the Bidens made millions more from shady countries.
The spokesperson for the Trump Organization noted that the Chinese bank cited in the report signed a lease in Trump Tower in 2008, before Trump was elected president.
Despite controversies, Donald Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary race.
The spokesperson for the Trump Organization responds by noting that the Chinese bank mentioned in the report had signed a lease in Trump Tower in New York in 2008, eight years before Trump was elected president. The spokesperson implies that this historical leasing activity should be considered when evaluating the allegations in the report.
B
"Heaviest spenders" refers to those who spent the most money, particularly in this context, at Trump-owned properties.
The tense used is past simple.
A synonym for "culmination" in this context is "conclusion."
The collocation is "de-escalated a trade war."
"The heaviest spenders at the former president’s properties were, by far, China’s government and state-owned entities."
The noun form is "coincidence."
The connector is "into."
"The truth is that $7.8mn is almost certainly only a fraction of Trump’s harvest of unlawful foreign state money."
The adverbial phrase is "in 2017 and 2018."
China spent significantly more than Saudi Arabia at Trump's properties.
