Shutdown puts AGs' emoluments suit on hold
Welcome to 1100 Pennsylvania, a newsletter devoted to President Donald Trump’s Trump Hotel International Washington, D.C. (and his other companies). President Trump, of course, still owns his businesses and can profit from them.
If you like what you see, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.
Shutdown puts AGs’ emoluments suit on hold
Yesterday the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the briefing schedule indefinitely in the D.C. and Maryland attorneys general’s emoluments lawsuit against President Trump. The president’s Department of Justice attorneys had requested a stay earlier in the day as the federal government shutdown prevents them from working except in emergency cases.
Oral augments on the appeal had been scheduled for March 19–21, with Trump’s attorneys’ brief due on Jan. 22.
Interior Secretary contender pushed for redeveloping Old Post Office
Outgoing Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) is a contender to be President Trump’s nominee to be the next U.S. Secretary of the Interior, according to CBS13 in Sacramento. As a 2013 press release from Denham’s office announcing his presence at the Trump Hotel D.C.’s unveiling explains, “As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management in the 112th Congress, Congressman Denham has played an integral role in pushing the federal government to move forward with the redevelopment of the Old Post Office in Washington.”
Denham’s campaign also spent $873.50 at the president’s hotel for a fundraising event in September 2017.
Legal cases, current status (latest change, Dec. 27, 2018)
D.C. and MD attorneys general’s emoluments lawsuit (district court docket, appellate court docket)—
UPDATED Official capacity—On Dec. 20, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it would hear the president’s appeal of district court rulings that allowed the case to proceed to discovery, and the appellate court halted discovery in the case. Oral augments on the appeal were scheduled for March 19–21, but on Dec. 26 the briefing schedule was suspended until further notice after Trump’s DoJ attorneys asked for a stay because of the federal government shutdown. (Discovery had started Dec. 3 and was scheduled to run through Aug. 2, 2019, with the AGs already having issued 38 subpoenas, including to the Trump Organization; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Treasury and the GSA; and the state of Maine.)
Individual capacity—On Dec. 14, Trump’s personal attorneys appealed the denial of their motion to dismiss the case, also to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On Dec. 19, the AGs replied to Trump’s motion for a stay pending that appeal by voluntarily dismissing the claims against Trump in his “individual capacity to allow the claims against President Trump in his official capacity to move forward expeditiously.” (The AGs only brought suit against Trump in his individual capacity after the judge suggested they do so.) Trump’s personal attorneys, on Dec. 21, opposed the motion to dismiss at the district level, saying the appeals court now has jurisdiction and accusing the AGs of “gamesmanship.”
196 Democratic senators and representatives’ emoluments lawsuit—On Sept. 28 judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that the legislators have standing to sue. Trump’s Justice Department attorneys filed an interlocutory appeal on Oct. 22.
CREW et. al’s emoluments lawsuit—In February, CREW appealed its suit being dismissed for lack of standing to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments on that motion were held on Oct. 30.
Cork’s unfair competition lawsuit—Judge Richard J. Leon dismissed the case on Nov. 26, writing “Cork has failed to state a claim for unfair competition under D.C. law.” On Dec. 10, Cork’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal.
Employees’ class-action suit alleging racial discrimination—A status hearing on arbitration is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2019.
Health inspections, current status (latest change, Aug. 10, 2018)
❌Hotel: five violations on May 7, 2018; two were corrected on site
❌BLT Prime and Benjamin Bar: nine violations on Aug. 10, 2018
❌Sushi Nakazawa: two violations on Aug. 10, 2018
✔️Banquet kitchen: no violations on Aug. 10, 2018
❌Pastry kitchen: two violations on Aug. 10, 2018
✔️Gift shop: no violations on May 7, 2018
❌Employee kitchen and in-room dining: five violations on Aug. 10, 2018; two were corrected on site
Other Trump Organization news
“From Azerbaijan to Scotland to Florida—Adam [Davidson of The New Yorker] explains how the Trump Organization looks more like a money laundering scam than a legitimate business operation” on the Words Matter Podcast
“The U.S. government may be shut down, but taxpayers are footing the bill for Mar-a-Lago party tents” by Justin Rohrlich for Qz
“How Mark Burnett resurrected Donald Trump as an icon of American success” by Patrick Radden Keefe for The New Yorker
One thing that has nothing to do with Trump’s businesses (I think, tough to tell sometimes!)
On Dec. 26, 2014, Donald Trump retweeted praise from six different accounts that no longer exist (via the TrumpHop Twitter bot). None of the accounts appear on Twitter’s list of 2,752 Russian trolls from November 2017 or NBC News’s spreadsheet of deleted Russian troll tweets from February 2018.
Thanks for reading. If you like what you saw, tell someone. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, subscribe for yourself at zacheverson.substack.com. Tips or feedback? Contact me, Zach Everson, securely via email at 1100Pennsylvania@protonmail.com or on Signal at 202.804.2744.