WASHINGTON – In a victory for Members of Congress, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has now denied, in full, President Trump’s motion to dismiss the challenge brought by roughly 200 Members of the Senate and House of Representatives, to hold him accountable to the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. On learning this news, the lead plaintiffs and their counsel issued the following statement:

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said, “This decision is a tremendous victory and vindication of a common sense reading of the Constitution. In an extraordinarily well-reasoned opinion, the court soundly rejected the President’s absurd argument that he is above the law. The next step should be discovery and full disclosure of all the documents and evidence relevant to our emoluments claims.”

“The ruling is an important milestone in seeking to hold the President accountable for his ongoing violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution,” continued Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “The Framers made it clear that government officials from the President on down were not to accept any benefits from foreign governments without first obtaining the consent of Congress. The Framers didn’t want the President to be influenced by foreign powers like Spain, England, and France in the 1780s or Russia or Saudi Arabia today. I am gratified that today the court agreed with me, Senator Blumenthal and 199 members of Congress who brought this case, that the President’s loyalty to the United States must be complete and undivided.  While much work remains to be done, today’s ruling is a victory for the Constitution—and a rejection of the President’s arguments.”

“This challenge on behalf of members of Congress addresses all of the foreign government benefits President Trump is accepting through all his businesses, worldwide,” added CAC President Elizabeth Wydra. “We are proud to represent Members of Congress in this effort, and we look forward to continuing to explain why President Trump must abide by the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause.”

#

Resources:

Case page, Blumenthal, Nadler, et al., v. Trump: https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/trump-and-foreign-emoluments-clause/

Judge Emmet Sullivan’s ruling: https://www.theusconstitution.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/blumenthal-nadler-v-trump-4-30-2019.pdf

##

Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.

###