Nearly 200 Democrats sued President Trump on Wednesday in federal court, claiming the president had violated the emoluments clause by accepting foreign money through his business holdings without prior congressional approval, The Hill reported.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led the filing that included the names of 196 Congressional Democrats. While no Republicans have joined the suit yet, Blumenthal said they were welcome to do so.
Lawsuit alleges by retaining interests in a biz empire, Trump has violated constitutional restrictions on taking gifts from foreign leaders. https://t.co/t81w1JkfYA
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 14, 2017
"Trump has conflicts of interest in at least 25 countries, and it appears he’s using his presidency to maximize his profits," said Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who led the legal effort in the House.
The filing arrives a day after the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C., said they will try and get Trump's tax returns in a lawsuit over foreign payments to Trump's hotel based in D.C.
What Trump said about Blumenthal last month. Now Blumenthal’s leading the lawsuit against Trump — guess he’s up for a battle after all. pic.twitter.com/jHVEyFqDu1
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) June 14, 2017