The attorneys general of Washington D.C. and Maryland are launching a first-of-its-kind legal challenge to a president of the United States, claiming Donald Trump has violated anti-corruption laws by continuing to take payments from foreign governments since taking the oath of office.
"Never in the history of this country have we had a president with these kinds of extensive business entanglements or a president who refused to adequately distance themselves from their holdings," D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said at a Monday press conference.
And never in the history of this country have government entities sued a president over the Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits public officials from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments. Trump’s D.C. hotel, for instance, has already received $270,000 in revenue from government officials of Saudi Arabia during lobbying visits. Aaron Davis of the Washington Post writes:
The lawsuit, the first of its kind brought by government entities, centers on the fact that Trump chose to retain ownership of his company when he became president. Trump said in January that he was shifting his business assets into a trust managed by his sons to eliminate potential conflicts of interests.
But D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, D, and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, D, say Trump has broken many promises to keep separate his public duties and private business interests. For one, his son Eric Trump has said the president would continue to receive regular updates about his company's financial health.
Perhaps the most important legal question in this case, at least initially, will be whether the plaintiffs are able to prove they have the "standing" to move forward with the suit. In other words, they must show that the people of D.C. and Maryland have been directly injured by Trump's continued ownership of businesses such as Trump Hotel.
But if the lawsuit is successful, the big payoff could be finally getting a look at Trump's tax returns. That also likely means a trip to the Supreme Court, as Trump's lawyers will fight tooth and nail to keep voters in the dark about Trump's financial commitment. Who knows what they would show?