The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland announced Tuesday their plan to file subpoenas against up to 20 companies and government agencies as part of their case that US President Donald Trump has illegally profited from occupying the nation’s top office. It is the first time such a case has advanced to the discovery stage.
Among the institutions to have their records requested are the Trump Organization and the Internal Revenue Service, as the attorneys seek to prove the president violated the Constitution’s clauses banning emoluments, or the profiting off public office. Their lawsuit alleges that foreign and domestic spending at institutions owned by the president, including his hotel in Washington, DC, amounts to gifts to the US head of state.