WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Wednesday after a federal judge permitted an Emoluments Clause-related lawsuit filed by Maryland and the District of Columbia against President Trump to move forward:

“I applaud the Attorneys General of Maryland and the District of Columbia for pursuing this important case. Lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and good governance and ethics experts have warned the president for nearly two years that he could avoid this type of litigation by divesting himself of his assets or placing them in a true blind trust. He has ignored that advice and only caused more headaches for himself and more costs for the American taxpayer. I look forward to this case moving forward, and remain hopeful that my colleagues and I will be successful in our Congressional lawsuit as well.”

BACKGROUND:

Senator Cardin is the lead Senate sponsor of S. Con. Res. 8, a resolution finding President Trump not in compliance with the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and calling on President Trump to divest his assets or place them in a blind trust. Senator Cardin is also a plaintiff in Blumenthal, et al v. Trump¸ a lawsuit filed by nearly 200 Members of Congress claiming President Trump has denied them their right to vote on the emoluments he has received as president. That case is currently under review for standing. Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution provides that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

###