A federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed an emoluments lawsuit against President Donald Trump. But don’t bet on it being the last we’ll hear of this prickly question.
The lawsuit, brought by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia in 2017, accuses Trump of violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution by illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel. It is the same iconic Old Post Office-turned-hotel just blocks from the White House where on Oct. 26, 2016, the then-Republican presidential nominee and his family held a public ribbon cutting/campaign speech on national television.
Less than a month later, Trump became president, and the old post office – still owned by the government but leased to Trump – quickly became a hot spot for lobbyists and foreign officials. A public relations firm working for Saudi Arabia spent nearly $270,000 on food and rooms. The Philippine and Kuwaiti embassies have had parties there. After all, if you were trying to impress the new president or curry his favor, where would you choose to eat, drink and spend the night – Best Western or the Trump International Hotel?
The emoluments clause – written by our nation’s founders in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution – is quite direct: “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, 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.”
Emolument is defined as remuneration or payment. The word traces back to the Latin word emolumentum, meaning profit or gain.