U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Judge Peter J. Messitte’s ruling on D.C. and Maryland v. Trump in the District of Maryland. Judge Messitte’s ruling today allows the case to proceed, but narrows the scope to violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses related to Trump International Hotel.
“This ruling shows that the President is not above the law – not in this legal action, or ours, brought by nearly 200 members of Congress to enforce the Foreign Emoluments Clause. This ruling correctly recognizes that America's courts play a critical role in our system of government by serving as a check on unconstitutional action by the other branches of government.
“While the D.C. hotel is one of the most visible means by which President Trump is violating the Constitution’s bedrock anti-corruption provisions, his violations run much further afield. That is why nearly 200 Members of Congress are working to hold this President accountable for every foreign government emolument President Trump is accepting, not only at his D.C. hotel.
“The Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause prohibits the President from accepting any benefit from a foreign government without first obtaining the consent of Congress. He has never sought our consent, depriving every Member of Congress of the right to which the Constitution entitles us -- the right to decide which foreign government benefits, if any, the President should be allowed to accept. We cannot consent to what we do not know.
“What we do know is that no one, not even President Trump, is above the law. We also know that all Americans depend on the courts to hold the President accountable to the Constitution. Today’s decision compellingly underscores that fact.”
###
