Lawsuit reinstated over Trump hotel profits

RICHMOND, Va. — A lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel was revived Thursday by a divided federal appeals court.

The lawsuit brought by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia alleges that Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice said the DOJ will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District Attorney General Karl Racine — both Democrats — said they hoped Thursday’s ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond would jumpstart efforts by the two jurisdictions to obtain financial records showing how much state and foreign governments have paid the Trump Organization to stay at the hotel and hold events there.

More than three dozen subpoenas issued to various government agencies were put on hold while Trump’s appeal was pending.

The lawsuit was filed almost three years ago. U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte refused to dismiss it, but his ruling was overturned in July by a threejudge panel of the 4th Circuit.

The judges found that Maryland and the District of Columbia lacked standing to pursue their claims against the president.

But on Thursday, the panel’s ruling was overturned by the full court of 15 judges. In a 9-6 ruling, the court found that the threejudge panel overstepped its authority when it ordered Messitte to dismiss the lawsuit.

DOJ spokeswoman Brianna Herlihy said the department is disappointed.

ALEX BRANDON/AP 2019 The ruling revives a lawsuit accusing the president of illegally profiting off the presidency through his D.C. hotel.