WASHINGTON >> The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump, alleging he violated the Constitution by improperly retaining ties to his sprawling global business empire and by accepting foreign payments while in office. On Monday, the attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in a Maryland federal court, saying that Trump's failure to sell off his interests in hotels, golf courses, office buildings and other properties is undermining public trust and violating the U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause. “The president’s interests … do not violate the Emoluments Clause,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Monday, referring to part of the Constitution designed to ensure presidents and other government officials are not swayed by gifts, including from foreign governments. They also said their action was non-partisan, and other state attorneys general, including Republicans, were welcome to join the suit.
Nearly 200 members of the Democratic Party in the United States Congress file a lawsuit in the federal court, claiming that U.S. President Trump profits from business dealings with foreign governments, in violation of the United States Constitution’s emolument clauses. This is the third such suit of its kind, following on the heels of the most recent suit by the Attorneys General of Maryland and the District of Columbia.