Lawsuit Over Trump’s Foreign Dealings Plows Uncharted Ground

By Ben Brody, Bloomberg News

A government watchdog group sued President Donald Trump in federal court Monday, alleging that his business dealings violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on federal officials’ receiving payments from foreign governments.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said in a complaint filed in federal court in New York that Trump, who has retained his ownership stake in his businesses, violated the provision, known as the emoluments clause, in several ways.

These include a lease with the state-owned Industrial & Commercial Bank of China in Trump Tower, bookings by foreign diplomats at Trump’s Washington hotel and ...