A federal judge in Maryland has rejected a request from President Trump to halt a lawsuit that claims he violated the Constitution through his continued ownership of his Washington, D.C., hotel, allowing the plaintiffs to move forward with gathering records in the case.
In a ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte denied the Justice Department’s request to stay the case, filed by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia, pending an appeal to a higher court, and pause the discovery process.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh argue Trump violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause through his continued financial interest in the Trump Organization’s Trump International Hotel, located blocks from the White House.
Under the emoluments clause, presidents are barred from accepting gifts or money from foreign governments unless they receive approval from Congress.
Messitte handed the attorneys general a pair of early victories this year, first ruling in March that they had the legal standing to sue Trump and then denying a request from Trump to throw out the lawsuit.
The president had argued that the emoluments clause did not apply to his actions because an “emolument” referred to a “profit arising from an office or employ.” But the plaintiffs successfully argued an “emolument” is “any ‘profit,’ ‘gain,’ or ‘advantage.’”
Since Trump assumed the presidency, several foreign governments have hosted events at his Washington hotel. The Trump Organization said this year it donated $151,470 to the U.S. Treasury that represented profits it earned in 2017 from foreign governments.
