Donald Trump and his businesses hauled in at least $7.8 million from foreign governments and officials of 20 countries during his presidency. The bulk of that came from China, but Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others also chipped in relatively modest amounts, according to a new report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

Trump has never been as wealthy as he has claimed, but he’s still a rich man, and $7.8 million may not mean as much to him as it would to an average wage earner. It’s also an election year, and in an era of fractious and fractured politics it would be convenient to dismiss the committee’s report as a partisan Democratic hit job.

Latching on to either of those arguments to let Trump off the hook would be a mistake. The issue of whether the Oval Office’s former occupant was on the take and could be swayed on policy issues because he’s a malleable financial mark rises well above those critiques. After all, national security is at stake if a president puts his or her wallet before the public interest.