Officials in Maryland and Washington will sue US President Donald Trump for accepting payments and benefits from foreign governments through his business network, news reports said on Sunday night.
The suit centers on the so-called emoluments clause, which bans US officials from taking gifts or other benefits from foreign governments, AFP reported.
An NGO that centers on ethics issues filed a similar suit in January, but this is the first one presented by government entities.
The announced lawsuit adds to Trump’s woes as he grapples with congressional and a special prosecutor’s probes into his campaign’s alleged ties with Russia, which US intelligence agencies say meddled aggressively in the 2016 election to held Trump win.
Since taking power in January, Trump has turned day to day control over his real-estate and other assets to his adult sons, but not sold them off as many in America said he should to avoid conflicts of interest.
The lawsuit will be filed on Monday by the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, the Washington Post reported.
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said the case is about Trump’s failure to separate his personal interests from his presidential duties.
Frosh told the newspaper that the emoluments clause mandates that “the president put the country first and not his own personal interest first.”
