Politics

US Supreme Court to Hear Dispute Over Trump Documents

MAY 15 2023·Updated MAY 16 2023

Story

Image credit: cbs

The Facts

The US Supreme Court has decided to take up a case concerning whether Democratic Party lawmakers should be allowed to sue to obtain documents surrounding the former Washington, D.C., hotel owned by former Pres. Trump.
The Hill
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee first launched their legal bid against the then-executive branch to retrieve the records in 2017, having been denied access to information about the Trump International Hotel by the former president.
The Associated Press
The case, officially called Carnahan v. Maloney, was dismissed in 2018 by a federal circuit court before the decision was overturned in a US Court of Appeals by a 2-1 panel vote in 2020.
USA Today
Democrats wish to investigate how in 2013 a lease agreement between the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Trump Old Post Office LLC allowed a federal office to be transformed into a hotel. Trump sold the hotel in 2022, which is now reopened as a Waldorf Astoria.
CBS News
The case currently sees House Democrats face off against the Biden Administration, who have aligned with the Trump-era policy to only respond to demands for information from the House majority.
Politico
Lawsuits have accused Trump of violating the US Constitution's anti-corruption provisions by maintaining ownership of his businesses while in office. Despite this, the Biden admin. has appealed to SCOTUS on the basis of potentially setting a dangerous precedent by letting House committee minorities request information as they please.
US News & World Report

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

While the case will be heard in the fall, the 95-year-old law used by House Democrats lacks any real legal precedent and has not led to any previously significant rulings. The decision will be important to clarify how such a law should be used in the future when a compromise between the legislative and the executive branches fails to occur.

The Western Journal

Democratic narrative

Since Trump’s hotel turned into the Waldorf, visits — and spending — by prominent Republican political figures have all but dried up. It is certainly clear that whatever Trump’s intentions were, in reality, what the hotel was used for was more than simply a night’s stay and cocktails, but rather influence.

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