By Leo Lutz

Lead by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), 196 Democratic members of Congress have filed suit against President Donald Trump for alleged violations of the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution, Reuters reports.

According to the text, “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

The suit filed on Wednesday alleges that the president’s businesses have accepted payments from foreign governments without seeking congressional approval.

On a conference call that included Reuters, Blumenthal said, “The president’s failure to tell us about these emoluments, to disclose the payments and benefits that he is receiving, mean that we cannot do our job. We cannot consent to what we don’t know.”

The Department of Justice did not comment on the suit, but the official word from the White House is that the president’s business interest are not a constitutional violation.

The suit brought by lawmakers comes less than 24 hours after attorneys general in both Maryland and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the president for similar alleged violations.