Trump Firms Must Save Records for AGs' Emoluments Lawsuit

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https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2017-11-29/trump-businesses-to-get-retention-subpoenas-in-emoluments-case


Trump Firms Must Save Records for AGs' Emoluments Lawsuit
By Andrew M Harris
November 29, 2017, 2:21 PM EST
Updated on November 29, 2017, 5:36 PM EST


Twenty-three Trump businesses including his Mar-a-Lago Club must retain records after they receive subpoenas from the attorneys general in Maryland and the District of Columbia as part of a lawsuit accusing the president of profiting from his office.

U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte on Tuesday issued a two-paragraph order granting the Democratic officials’ request to serve so-called preservation subpoenas, which require the businesses to retain documents but not to immediately produce them.

Attorneys General Karl Racine in Washington and Brian Frosh in Maryland claim in a lawsuit that the president’s continued ownership of his business empire allows him to make money from foreign and domestic governments. Attorneys for President Donald Trump have asked the judge to toss the case over the Constitution’s two emoluments clauses, saying Maryland and the District haven’t been harmed and the clauses don’t cover the presidents’ business activities unrelated to government service. Oral argument is set for Jan. 25.

“The ruling allows us to serve subpoenas to preserve evidence that will be invaluable if the court allows our case to proceed to the discovery phase,” Racine said in a statement. “This ruling is an important first step in our litigation against President Trump for unlawfully receiving emoluments from foreign and domestic governments.”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2017-11-29/trump-businesses-to-get-retention-subpoenas-in-emoluments-case