DC, Maryland to Subpoena Trump Organization, Treasury

The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland plan to file subpoenas Tuesday seeking records from the Trump Organization, the Treasury Department, and dozens of other entities as part of a lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of profiting off the presidency, the AP reports. The flurry of subpoenas came a day after US District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte approved a brisk schedule for discovery in the case alleging that foreign and domestic government spending at Trump's Washington, DC, hotel amounts to gifts to the president in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause. The subpoenas target 37 entities, including 13 Trump-linked entities and the federal agency that oversees the lease for Trump's Washington hotel. Subpoenas were also being sent to the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, Department of Commerce and Department of Agriculture, all of which have spent taxpayer dollars at the hotel or have information on Trump's finances relevant to the case.

Other Trump entities that officials plan to subpoena include those related to his Washington hotel and its management. Eighteen private entities including restaurants, venues and hotels that compete with the Trump hotel are also being subpoenaed to "illuminate the unfair nature of that competition," said Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh. "We're seeking to confirm the information that everybody already knows: Trump's violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution," Frosh said. "He's received numerous payments from foreign governments and state governments and they've been funneled, at least in part, through the Trump (hotel) in DC." While news organizations have reported how groups representing Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Philippines have hosted events at Trump's DC hotel since he took office, the subpoenas offer the best chance to get a complete picture of which foreign and domestic governments are spending at the hotel, how much they are spending, and where that money is going. (Click for much more of the latest.)