On Wednesday, President Donald Trump has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit in D.C. court that accuses him of illegally profiting from his businesses while in office. Trump is arguing that he’s immune from the accusations due to the separation of powers and “long-recognized principles of presidential immunity.”
The lawsuit was filed by the Washington DC’s attorney general Karl A. Racine in June, 2020 and also referred to as the “emoluments” suit. According to the suit, Trump received payments from foreign and domestic interests for his Trump International Hotel, his golf courses and other Trump-owned businesses. Race claimed that this profiting from the presidency violated the Anti-enrichment Clause of the Constitution.
Trump’s lawyers urged the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that his official capacity is protected by presidential immunity. They also argued that a ruling in the case would be a “disruptive intrusion” into the separation of powers between the president and the Office of Attorney General of Washington. Trump’s team also claims that D.C. doesn’t have the authority to sue the president.
The Judge, Emmet G. Sullivan, had denied similar motions last year and ruled that the case could proceed. However, Trump’s lawyers have appealed the ruling, saying that the D.C. courts mustn’t have the authority to investigate the president’s business dealings while in office. It’s still uncertain what Sullivan’s decision on Trump’s most recent motion will be, but the case will likely be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This case is seen as a highly significant one as it will decide the legal precedent for future presidents who are accused of violating the Anti-enrichment Clause of the Constitution while in office. If Trump is successful in his immunity defense, his actions will likely have long-lasting effects on the nation’s anti-corruption laws.
