INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Donald Trump has again asked a United States court to dismiss a suit accusing him of flouting constitutional
safeguards against corruption by refusing to separate himself from his business empire while in office, claiming "absolute immunity.The
lawsuit, filed by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, accused Trump of violating the United States Constitution's
"emoluments" clause that bars United States officials from accepting gifts or other payments from foreign governments without congressional
The same clause also bars the president from receiving gifts and payments from individual states."If Plaintiffs want to sue the President
for acts taken while in office, they must sue him in official capacity
But he is absolutely immune from any suit, including this one, seeking to impose individual liability premised on his assumption of the
Presidency itself,"Trump's lawyer William Consovoy wrote in a court filing on Tuesday."The Supreme Court has concluded that the costs to
the Nation of allowing such suits to distract the President from his official duties outweigh any countervailing interests
That choice must be respected," Consovoy added.Trump's legal team previously sought to have the case tossed out but United States
District Judge Peter Messitte in Greenbelt, Maryland, last month let it proceed even as he narrowed the claims only to those related to
Trump's hotel in downtown Washington.Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, both
Democrats, argued in their suit, filed last June, that local residents were harmed by unfair competition by Trump's hotel and other
Lawyers for the Republican president previously argued that such harm was speculative and difficult to link directly to Trump.Trump, whose
businesses include a host of real estate properties as well as golf courses and a Virginia winery, handed day-to-day management to two of
But the plaintiffs said Trump has not disentangled himself and is vulnerable to inducements by people, including foreign officials, seeking
to curry favor.Frosh and Racine have indicated they will seek numerous documents related to Trump, including his tax returns.Trump has
bucked precedent by not releasing his tax returns during his 2016 presidential campaign or as president.A United States judge in Manhattan
this story has not been edited by staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
