SUMMONS ISSUED: Attorneys General For Washington DC And Maryland Sue Trump Over Emoluments Clause

Washington DC’s NPR affiliate reports:

A lawsuit filed by D.C. and Maryland against President Trump over his alleged business conflicts has been expanded to include Trump in his personal capacity as a businessman, which means that a summons has been sent to perhaps the most famous address in Washington: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The attorneys general for both argue in a lawsuit that Trump is violating the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which in part bans public officials from receiving gifts and payments from foreign governments without approval from Congress.

They argue that Trump’s refusal to divest from his sprawling business empire — in particular, the Trump International Hotel in downtown D.C. — has meant that foreign governments have directly paid the Trump Organization for hotel bookings and events.

The lawsuit also claims that local businesses are losing the business that’s now being funneled to Trump properties. Trump’s lawyers have three weeks to file their response.