Donald Trump, accompanied by, from left, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Trump, Tiffany Trump, Melania Trump, and Ivanka Trump, during the grand opening ceremony of the Trump International HotelOld Post Office in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 26, 2016. Getty Images.
Donald Trump has been accused of profiting from his hotel in DC in a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia and Maryland, according to a new report.
A federal judge ruled that Maryland and D.C.'s attorney generals have standing to sue the president of the United States over foreign payments to his company's D.C. hotel.
US District Judge Peter J. Messitte said foreign governments like Bahrain and Kuwait spending money at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue have "almost certainly" had an illegal effect on competition.
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In his ruling he mentions that other hotels and convention centers in D.C. and Maryland, could be hurt by foreign and state governments choosing the president's property.
US President Donald Trump has been under scrutiny for the last few months for his alleged involvement in his hotel business after a leaked email from an executive at Trump's hotel in Washington, D.C. claimed the president is 'definitely involved'.
Jeng Chi Hung, director of revenue management for Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., wrote in a September 12 email obtained and published by The Daily Beast on Thursday: “DJT is supposed to be out of the business and passed on to his sons, but he's definitely still involved. I had a brief meeting with him a few weeks ago, and he was asking about banquet revenues and demographics. And, he asked if his presidency hurt the businesses... He seems self aware about things, at least more than he lets on.”
Documents showing US President Donald Trump's flagship Washington hotel made nearly US $2m profit in the first four months of 2017 have been deleted after they were posted online by accident, reports US media.
The Washington Post reports that the company was forecasted to lose $2.1 million during that same time period when it opened late last year.