Two attorneys general sue Trump

President accused of violating Constitution

WASHINGTON - Attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia filed an anti-corruption lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday, arguing that he is violating the Constitution by using his office to unjustly enrich himself.

It is the latest effort by politicians in blue states to challenge Trump in the courts and put a spotlight on the unusual conflicts of interest that arise when a billionaire business owner occupies the White House.

Their suit recites a now-familiar complaint that Trump, by retaining ownership of his hotels and other properties, is violating the ban on a U.S. official accepting “any present (or) Emolument ... of any kind whatsoever from ... any foreign state.” They cite reports that the embassies of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are booking expensive rooms and holding events at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., possibly seeking to win favor with the president.

The constitutional ban on emoluments “helps ensure that the president serves with undivided loyalty to the American people, and the American people only,” they said in the suit. “Never before has a president acted with such disregard for this constitutional prescription.”

The suit may be less important for what it says than for who filed it. Maryland and Washington, D.C., contend that as “sovereign” entities, they have a special standing to sue the president.

A similar suit over foreign emoluments was filed in January by an ethics group known as CREW, for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and it was later joined by a restaurant and some private hotels. They too alleged Trump was violating the Constitution and that their businesses were being hurt by the unfair competition.

CREW’s lawyers are part of the suit filed Monday, and they argued Maryland and D.C. are suffering injuries because some of their hotels and meeting areas are losing business to Trump’s properties.

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee denounced the suit. “This lawsuit brought against our president is absurd,” said Lindsay Jancek. “The American people elected President Trump to lead this country, and it is time Democrats end their efforts to delegitimize his presidency.”

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the Trump administration would ask the court to dismiss the suit.