AGs issue Trump-related subpoenas

President is accused of profiting off the presidency

WASHINGTON — The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland plan to file subpoenas Tuesday seeking records from the Trump Organization, the Treasury Department and dozens of other entities as part of a lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of profiting off the presidency.

This comes a day after U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte approved a brisk schedule for discovery in the case alleging that foreign and domestic government spending at Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel violates the Constitution’s emoluments clause.

The subpoenas target 37 entities, including the federal agency that oversees the lease for Trump’s Washington hotel. Subpoenas were also being sent to the General Services Administration, and the departments of defense, commerce and agriculture, all of which have spent taxpayer dollars at the hotel or have information on Trump’s finances relevant to the case.

Officials also plan to subpoena Trump entities related to his Washington hotel and its management. Eighteen private entities, including restaurants, venues and hotels that compete with the Trump hotel, are also being subpoenaed to “illuminate the unfair nature of that competition,” said Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh.

“We’re seeking to confirm … Trump’s violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution,” Frosh said.