Judge allows suit accusing Trump of violating the Constitution to proceed

The front of Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia do have the legal standing to sue President Trump for allegedly receiving improper payments from states and foreign governments through the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., in violation of the Constitution.

The emoluments clause of the Constitution prohibits the president and other federal officials from accepting payments or gifts from states and foreign governments. The Trump International Hotel opened in 2016, and the plaintiffs argue that it has an unfair advantage over other hotels in the area because of its link to Trump. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte said their allegation is "bolstered by explicit statements from certain foreign government officials indicating that they are clearly choosing to stay at the president's hotel because, as one representative of a foreign government has stated, they want him to know 'I love your new hotel.'"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.