Washington, Jun 12 (EFE).- The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia – Brian Frosh and Karl Racine, respectively – on Monday filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump for receiving money from foreign governments for business activities from which he has not completely divested himself.
“President Trump’s continued ownership interest in a global business empire, which renders him deeply enmeshed with a legion of foreign and domestic government actors, violates the Constitution, calling into question the rule of law and the integrity of our political system,” the complaint states.
At a Washington press conference, Racine said that the suit was presented Monday morning in federal court claiming Trump’s “flagrant violation” of the constitutional provisions against a president’s receiving emoluments from foreign or domestic interests.
“President Trump has violated important anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Constitution. We are a nation of laws and no one – including the President of the United States – is above the law,” Racine said.
“Never in the history of this country have we had a president with these kinds of extensive business entanglements,” he added.
Frosh, meanwhile, said that he and his colleague expect that the courts, or the Supreme Court, will ultimately set a precedent in this case and rule that Trump must do more to divest himself of his business activities, although to date he has only resigned from his responsibilities at the Trump Organization.
The two attorneys general said that Trump is violating the emoluments clause in the Constitution, given that the Saudi government is “sweetening” its relations with the White House by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in Trump hotels, including the Trump International Hotel, located very close to the White House in downtown Washington.
Trump feels that his resignation from his various posts within the Trump Organization and his commitment not to speak about business with his sons – who are now running the organization – is enough to avoid conflicts of interest.