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Rep. Payne, Jr. Sues President Trump

June 20, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) joined nearly 200 House and Senate Democrats in filing a federal lawsuit against President Trump for violating the U.S. Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause:

“Our Constitution prohibits the president from accepting foreign payments without congressional authorization. This allows the American people to have confidence that the president is serving their interests and has not been corrupted by a foreign government. President Trump, however, sees himself as above the Constitution. In clear defiance of the emoluments clause, President Trump has refused to disclose and seek congressional authorization for his foreign business dealings, the extent of which is unknown given the president’s simultaneous and unprecedented refusal to release his tax returns. The president must be held to account.”

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