Broward lawyer drops suit on emoluments against Trump
WEST PALM BEACH — Recognizing that others are already accusing President Donald Trump of running afoul of the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clauses, a Broward County lawyer has dropped his lawsuit that makes similar claims.
“(The) argument is being adequately made by others, and with best wishes for their success,” attorney Patrick Goggins wrote last week, alerting U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg he was dropping the lawsuit he filed in July, questioning the legality of Trump’s ongoing business dealings.
Rosenberg, a former Palm Beach County circuit judge, closed the case Tuesday.
Her actions came a day before some of the same issues were litigated in a federal court in New York. A liberal watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, on Wednesday told U.S. District Judge George Daniels that Trump’s ongoing ties to the Trump Organization violate both the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses.
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice, who represent Trump, have claimed that the emoluments clause was aimed at barring the president from accepting gifts from foreign governments in his official capacity to curb any possibility for corruption. It was not to address routine business transactions, such as money the Trump Organization earns from foreign visitors staying at its hotels, they claim.
Further, government attorneys claim, the issue is more properly settled by Congress, not in the courts. During the hearing, Daniels questioned why Congress hasn’t taken on the issue, according to a report by Reuters news service.
“They can make this an issue, but they have not done so,” it quoted Daniels as saying. “Why is it appropriate for the judiciary to have the president fight this out in a street brawl?”
Goggins’ lawsuit focused on the domestic emoluments clause. The Hollywood construction lawyer claimed the Constitution bars presidents from accepting remuneration from the federal government or state governments other than their government salary. He focused on the Trump Organization’s lease with the General Services Administration to operate a hotel in the Old Post Office in Washington.
In its suit, the watchdog group also mentions the Old Post Office as an example of a violation of the emoluments clause. It further points out how Trump’s election to the Oval Office has helped his business. Room rates at the hotel increased after the election, it claims. Further, it points out, the annual membership at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, doubled from $100,000 to $200,000.
Other emoluments clause cases are pending against Trump in Washington and Maryland.