Lawsuit against Trump over foreign payments expands

CREW, ROC and Washington, DC-based events booker Jill Phaneuf are represented in the case by an all-star team of top constitutional scholars, ethics experts and litigators who have combined to argue 45 cases before the Supreme Court. The restaurants joined as part of Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United, which consists of more than 25,000 restaurant workers and restaurants owned by restaurateurs including Tom Colicchio, Alice Waters, Andy Shalal and James Mallios.

"With the filing of our amended complaint, I have no doubt that President Trump and his battalion of attorneys have no legal ground to stand on and must soon face the constitutional music", said Tribe.

Phaneuf and the members of ROC now see potential lost business, as foreign governments book events at Trump properties in a possible attempt to curry favor with the president.

NEW YORK ― An ethics watchdog that sued President Donald Trump in January over violations of the so-called foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution has added new plaintiffs to its legal challenge - all in hopes of putting the case on stronger footing. He added, "There are so many people and organizations that have reached out to us interested in joining our case [that] while these are the only new plaintiffs today, the possibility remains for more in the future".

The clause, aimed at curbing corruption, states that "no person holding any office of profit or trust under them 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". She joined the suit as an individual. Phaneuf, who books event at the Carlyle Hotel and Glover Park Hotel, tells the paper that Trump "is taking business away from me and others". He explains, "I think the district court will have every reason to compel disclosure of the tax returns in particular, given how much they (and only they) will reveal about the exact sources and amounts of numerous unconstitutional Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Trump has been receiving and stands to receive unless enjoined pursuant to the relief our lawsuit seeks".

When The Washington Post asked the White House for comment, a spokeswoman directed the question to the Trump Organization.

The aim of the lawsuit is the same as before.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, oversees the litigation.

A lawsuit alleging President Trump has violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clause now lists "gratuitous Chinese trademarks" among its alleged violations. It was inspired by fears that early American ambassadors might be corrupted by gifts from the countries where they were serving.

"So long as violations of the Emoluments Clauses are permitted to continue, ROC United's members will continue to suffer from unfair competition as foreign states, the United States, and state and local governments divert their business to restaurants in which Defendant has a financial interest", the amended complaint asserts.

"The Administration's conflicts of interest are glaring and risky", ROC said in a Tuesday press release.

While presidents aren't subject to the ethics laws that apply to most federal office-holders, most lawyers, including Trump's, say the foreign emoluments clause does apply to him. "But now we've seen almost 100 days of emoluments violations-and the violations are growing, not shrinking" said Teachout. Get twice-daily updates on what the St. Louis business community is talking about.