Democrats had a big win in federal court on Tuesday in their case regarding Donald Trump's violations of the Emoluments Clause. You know, the anti-corruption part of the United States Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 8) that says:
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.
Well, clearly Trump is violating this with his Trump Hotel in D.C., non-stop visits from dignitaries to his various properties and god only knows how many cash payments being funneled to him and his children by foreign governments.
Donald Trump, who is being represented by the United States Department of Justice (versus private attorneys, since this is a private matter and the DOJ does not represent a private citizen...but I digress), tried to get the case thrown out...and failed.
The Washington Post reports that Judge Sullivan then promptly refused to put the case on hold and said that lawmakers who brought the case could "begin this week seeking financial information, interviews and other records from the Trump Organization."
In the 12-page ruling, Sullivan said: “This case will be poised for resolution within six months; an immediate appeal would hardly materially advance its ultimate termination."
Donald Trump can try to delay the Democrats from getting access to his documents by filing an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which I am sure will be done in the next day or two. The case could eventually wind its way to the Supreme Court, which would be a true test of the high court's ability to function as a non-political arbiter of justice.
So back to this case. The DOJ, not Trump's private attorneys, although the DOJ is acting as Trump's private attorneys, asked Judge Sullivan to approve an immediate appeal, thereby halting discovery. They stated that civil discovery will "distract the President from his official duties."
What? What are his official duties actually? Golfing? Tweeting? Visiting his hotel? Holding Nazi type MAGA rallies where he rants about Hillary's emails and chants "lock her up" - in the summer of 2019?
Judge Sullivan was not impressed. He ordered the parties to begin documents production, which will span a three-month period starting this Friday, June 28th and end on September 27th.
The Trump Organization had no comment.
As a reminder, there is a second emoluments case that is already in process, which was brought by the AG's of the District of Columbia and Maryland. A federal judge in that case also denied the Trump administration’s request for an immediate appeal. But, a VA based judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals had a more Trump friendly approach and agreed to review the case and ordered a temporary block to subpoenas.
Every case brings us closer to seeing the true depth and breadth of Donald Trump's true grift of our country and that terrifies him.
