Justice Department seeks to halt lawsuit involving President Trump's business
Source: Washington Post
The Justice Department on Friday asked a federal judge to halt proceedings in a lawsuit involving President Trumps private business, arguing that allowing the case to go forward would be a distraction to the Presidents performance of his constitutional duties.
The lawsuit, filed by Maryland and the District of Columbia, centers on whether Trump is violating the Constitution by continuing to do business with foreign and state governments while serving as president. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte ruled that the historic case could proceed, opening the door for the plaintiffs to seek internal records from Trumps hotel in downtown Washington.
In Fridays filing, the Justice Department sought to block the case on the grounds that Messitte was setting new precedent on complex issues involving a sitting president and asked that he put the case on hold until a higher court could review his rulings.
Plaintiffs are now poised to attempt to conduct civil discovery against the sitting President, in his official capacity, which necessarily would be a distraction, Justice Department attorneys wrote in the 36-page filing.
-snip-
By Jonathan O'Connell, Reporter
August 17 at 6:46 PM
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-seeks-to-halt-lawsuit-involving-president-trumps-business/2018/08/17/0633c454-a23f-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html
forgotmylogin
(7,496 posts)are already a distraction to the performance of presidential duties?
dchill
(38,321 posts)olegramps
(8,200 posts)olegramps
(8,200 posts)htuttle
(23,738 posts)Just plug this motion right into the socket for the emoluments case...
Turbineguy
(37,212 posts)Give them points for a sense of humor. When has he ever done his "constitutional duties"?
RainCaster
(10,681 posts)Cuz it sure don't happen when that asshole is in the WH.
PatSeg
(46,804 posts)The man lives in a constant state of self-made distractions. He has no idea what "constitutional duties" are, though maybe that could be construed as "tweeting on the toilet".
They_Live
(3,222 posts)"constitutional doodies"
emulatorloo
(43,981 posts)iluvtennis
(19,757 posts)ProudMNDemocrat
(16,485 posts)One would think.
sueh
(1,818 posts)it is perfectly ok to profit from doing business with foreign and state governments, he can damn well answer for his actions in the courtroom NOW.
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)"Golfing president"?? Seems he spends more time golfing that doing the actual job as president. Since he has no idea what the job entails, maybe we are lucky?
Anon-C
(3,430 posts)The admins argument sounds like that of Kavanaugh's Imperial Presidency...where the executive just cannot be bothered by lawsuits and federal investigations.
RockRaven
(14,783 posts)with precision and accuracy exactly how he has spent his time as POTUS thus far, to demonstrate that he has no time/attention to spare.
The fact is that Trump spends 4-8 hours a day watching TV and spends 1/3 of his days at his own company's properties cheating at golf and driving his big-boy zoom-zoom cart (b/c he's both lazy and superstitious about not exercising - including walking apparently). He's got plenty of time and energy to spend on legal consultations related to this case, or more accurately, zoning out whilst his lawyers attempt to discuss this case with him.
LiberalFighter
(50,501 posts)Grasswire2
(13,564 posts)It is not the purview of the Justice Department to protect the president from actions resulting from his potential abuse of power.
still_one
(91,959 posts)comes around goes around
PSPS
(13,512 posts)Grasswire2
(13,564 posts)riversedge
(69,722 posts)djacq
(1,633 posts)His performance is a failure.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)to put all his assets into a blind trust but he choose not to.
eggplant
(3,893 posts)Farmergene
(76 posts)That ass in the WH is a PRESIDENT? Couldn't prove it by me. Here I thought he was a crook, a sharlatan, and a Russian asset.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,483 posts).......... ............
This is just tRump and Sessions claiming "it's good to be King"........
Mc Mike
(9,107 posts)The repugs made Carter sell his peanut farm.
It's a distraction? The answer is 'blind trust'.
C_U_L8R
(44,894 posts)Who else gets to use that excuse?
The law is the law... Trump needs to obey it.
riversedge
(69,722 posts)It is past time this clause was tested in a court of law!!
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/08/17/us/politics/ap-us-trump-hotel-lawsuit.html
.............Justice lawyers argued that the "public interest is decidedly in favor of a stay because any discovery would necessarily be a distraction to the President's performance of his constitutional duties."
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine responded: "After winning two major rulings in this case already, we anticipated President Trump's most recent motion. Nonetheless, our case is still moving forward. We are on track to propose a schedule for discovery by September 14, and we hope to request relevant documents shortly thereafter."
The emoluments clause has never been fully tested in an American courtroom. Two other lawsuits accusing the president of violating the emoluments clause are also being heard in other federal courts. Neither has reached the discovery stage.
FSogol
(45,357 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,154 posts)by profiting in private business due to being president. So should the law be enforced? But, they say, since he's president, it's too much of a distraction for him to have to answer the charge. They say there should be no case.
That's some catch, there.
duforsure
(11,882 posts)To be playing golf numerous times a week , and has enough time to constantly tweet crude remarks towards others daily, and has more time on his ass watching tv, so this is bogus. If he's allowed to profit freely off his position , why can't others in their positions profit also? Under no circumstances should a person working in our government anywhere be allowed in any way to profit from their policies or position of power, or we're really asking for troubles.
KayF
(1,345 posts)deny the motion by listing all the things you mention, proving Trump has too much time on his hands if anything.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,216 posts)but defending the right to profit off of the Presidency is.
Got it.