A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court says Trump is violating the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits the president from accepting payments from foreign governments without the consent of Congress.
The suit cites the president’s hotel in Washington, which has been at the center of concerns about conflicts of interest, and his worldwide network of hotels, golf courses and other commercial properties.
Attorney General Karl Racine told reporters that foreign governments are already spending money at Trump properties to curry favor with Trump. He said Saudi Arabia alone has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We are a nation of laws, and no one, including the president of the United States, is above the law,” Racine said. “What are we to do, sit back and let the president police himself?”
Maryland and the district also argue that they themselves are being harmed economically. The reason being their businesses have to compete with Trump’s, and because their governments face pressure to provide Trump with permits and tax breaks.
Maryland and the District of Columbia argue that they should be shielded from “undue pressure to provide emoluments to the president,” and that other states can “curry favor from the president by providing emoluments that other states lack.”
The suit asks the court for an injunction blocking Trump from accepting foreign money. Lawyers will seek access to Trump’s personal tax returns as part of the legal process known as discovery, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh told reporters.