RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments in a lawsuit that claims President Donald Trump is violating the Constitution by accepting profits from foreign and domestic officials through his hotel in Washington.
The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia say government spending at the Trump International Hotel violates the Constitution’s emoluments clause. The clause bans federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.
Trump’s lawyers argue that the emoluments clause only bars payments made in connection with services the president provides in his official capacity. They are challenging a Maryland federal judge’s decision to let the lawsuit go forward.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case Tuesday.
The Associated Press
