Tag: emoluments violations

Lawsuit on Trump Emoluments Violations Gains Traction in Court

The following article by Sharon LaFraniere was posted on the New York Times website January 25, 2018:

Trump International Hotel in Washington. “The argument is that as president he is unduly attracting business,” the judge said of President Trump. “There is some evidence of that.” Credit Alex Brandon/Associated Press

GREENBELT, Md. — A closely watched lawsuit claiming that President Trump is violating the Constitution by failing to divorce himself from his businesses appeared to inch forward on Thursday during a lengthy hearing before a federal judge in Maryland.

Judge Peter J. Messitte voiced skepticism about the Justice Department’s arguments that he should dismiss the lawsuit, filed last year by the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland, on the grounds that Mr. Trump’s continued ownership of his businesses was a political issue, not a legal one.

Although the president’s lawyers persuaded Judge George B. Daniels of the United States District Court in Manhattan to throw out a similar lawsuit last month, Judge Messitte made clear that he was not bound by that ruling. Continue reading “Lawsuit on Trump Emoluments Violations Gains Traction in Court”

Trump moves to dismiss congressional Emoluments Clause lawsuit

The following article by Max Greenwood was posted on the Hill website September 15, 2017:

© Getty Images

President Trump has moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by more than 200 Democratic lawmakers alleging that the president has violated a constitutional prohibition on taking gifts from foreign governments.

In a filing in D.C. District Court on Friday first highlighted by BuzzFeed News, government attorneys accused lawmakers of trying to circumvent the legislative process by turning to the courts because of their inability to pass legislation declaring Trump in violation of the Emoluments Clause, which bars the president from accepting gifts or other benefits from foreign leaders.

“None of the bills has come to a vote, nor has the President done anything to prevent Congress from holding a vote,” the motion to dismiss reads. Continue reading “Trump moves to dismiss congressional Emoluments Clause lawsuit”

Taxpayers billed $1,092 for an official’s two-night stay at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club

The following article by Drew Harwell and Amy Brittain was posted on the Washington Post website September 15, 2017:

The Washington Post has obtained a March 2017 receipt for a two-night stay at Mar-a-Lago. Here’s why it matters. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Given the number of high-profile presidential events at Mar-a-Lago, questions about who pays for meals and rooms have generally gone unanswered. When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited in February, the White House made a point of saying that Abe would stay at the club free of charge as a personal guest of Trump.

The March invoice was provided to the advocacy group by the Coast Guard in response to a broader Freedom of Information Act request seeking records on the agency’s expenses related to Trump-affiliated properties. The Coast Guard FOIA office searched the agency’s credit card payment records, which led it to the invoice, according to an explanation provided by the agency. Continue reading “Taxpayers billed $1,092 for an official’s two-night stay at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club”