On Monday's edition of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," even former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), one of President Donald Trump's biggest apologists on the network, expressed his disgust that the president called for hosting the next G7 at one of his own Trump National Doral golf resort.
"Two district courts have cases brought against Donald Trump to pivot exactly this type of thing ... it would be a clear violation of the United States Constitution," said former Bush White House lawyer Richard Painter. "Second, he's using his presidency to promote his own business. That's a conflict of interest entirely apart from the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution."
Santorum concurred that these were "legitimate points."
"The fact is that the president should not be doing this," said Santorum. "It would be a violation of the law as far as I understand it. I hope this is the last time he mentions it. I hope if anybody who did suggests to him, I mean, it's just remarkable that someone would suggest that it would be held at his — at Doral. Again, I hope that's not true and if it is true, I hope they put an end to it very quickly."
Host John Berman pressed the point. "Rick, if you had been working until the White House — at one point you were rumored to be a possible chief of staff, I know that never happened — but if someone had come to you, a White House staffer or the president himself, and said hey, let's hold the G7 at Doral—"
"Hell no," said Santorum.
"What does it tell you then that the president is entertaining this?" asked Berman.
"Look, I think this is, you know, there is a good and bad that comes with everybody," said Santorum awkwardly. "This is one of the things I scratch my head and wonder why the president doesn't see the obvious, not just conflict of interest, but how it could be used by opponents to undermine some of the good things that he's trying to accomplish there, and again, I'm disappointed that he even brought it up and I hope that it's the last we hear of it."
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