JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “The State of Maryland and the District of Columbia began issuing subpoenas on Tuesday [12-4-18] for records related to President Trump’s hotel in Washington, seeking evidence of conflicts of interest that violate the Constitution’s anti-corruption provision. Their demands for a vast array of documents, including tax records related to the president’s business, are certain to run headlong into a legal challenge by the administration. The Justice Department is expected to contest rulings by a federal judge who allowed the litigation to go forward, and the case appears bound for the Supreme Court. The governments of Maryland and the District of Columbia are claiming that Mr. Trump is violating the emoluments clauses of the Constitution by accepting payments from foreign leaders or state officials who patronize the Trump International Hotel, which is on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from the White House. They are seeking documents from about a dozen entities connected to Mr. Trump’s business, including the trust in which he placed assets when he became president, as well as from numerous other entities.”
–Sharon LaFraniere, “Maryland and District of Columbia Seek Business Records Related to Trump Hotel,” The New York Times online, December 4, 2018