President Trump appears to be mucked in fresh controversy following the decision by several Demcratic members of Congress to sue him over his foreign business dealings. The suit was filed by 196 members of Congress made up of 30 from the Senate and 166 from the House.
The lawmakers are accusing President Trump of breaching the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which says that the president may not accept payments from foreign governments without the consent of Congress.
The complaint says that the Emoluments Clause was meant to ensure "that our nation's leaders would not be corrupted by foreign influence or put their own financial interests over the national interest."
As examples of foreign money, the complaint cites press reports about a Saudi government-backed lobbying firm that paid for a room at Trump's luxury hotel in Washington in January, and a celebration held there in February by the Embassy of Kuwait.
It also cites preliminary approval granted by the Chinese government since January for trademark protection for Trump-branded construction services, golf clubs, hotels and other ventures.
The complaint mentions at least two tenants at Trump Tower in New York that are backed by foreign governments, from China and the United Arab Emirates.
The suit was filed in federal court in Washington. It asks the court for a declaration that Trump is violating the Constitution and an injunction stopping him from accepting foreign money.
Meanwhile routine inquiries carried out by Vigil360 indicated that the Democrats' lawsuit is at least the fourth to be filed against president Trump following his refusal to completely separate himself from his business interests. Lawsuits have so far been filed by a government watchdog organization, by individual businesses that compete with Trump properties, and this week, by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Trump refused to sell his business holdings before he took office, as government ethics expects. Rather he stepped back from daily management of the Trump Organization, moved the assets into a trust, headed by his two oldest sons and a business associate.
