WASHINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump is violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, handing Trump a legal victory, according to media reports.
Maryland and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit two years ago, accusing that the president had violated both the foreign and domestic Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution by continuing to profit from his ownership of the Trump International Hotel while in office, The Hill reported.
The appeals court now ruled that the lawsuit did not have the standing to sue the president, saying the claims that government officials are staying at Trump's Washington D.C., hotel in order to benefit the president and not due to other factors "requires speculation" and are "simply too attenuated."
In quick response, Trump tweeted that he "won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt."
"I don't make money, but lose a fortune for the honor of serving and doing a great job as your President (including accepting Zero salary!)," the president said on Twitter.
A district court in Maryland originally ruled that the local governments had standing to file the complaints, as the president's hotel may draw guests away from government-owned properties, said the The Hill report.
The appeals court's decision signaled that other lawsuits alleging similar violations of the Emoluments Clause, including one brought by more than 200 Democratic lawmakers, would face an uphill battle in succeeding, said the report.
