Judge slams Trump's ‘unpersuasive’ legal defense and allows House Democrats’ lawsuit to proceed

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled against President Donald Trump and allowed a lawsuit by Congressional Democrats to proceed, The Washington Postreported on Tuesday.

Unless the Department of Justice appeals, the ruling will allow Democrats to seek disclosure of documents from the Trump Organization.

"The lawsuit is one of two landmark cases against Trump relying on the once-obscure emoluments clauses of the Constitution. In a case brought in Maryland by the attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland, Justice Department lawyers representing the president have succeeded in temporarily blocking subpoenas for financial records and other documents related to Trump’s D.C. hotel," The Post explained. "The congressional case, brought by about 200 Democrats, extends beyond the hotel and provides a potential new avenue for the president’s challengers to gain access to a broader array of Trump’s closely held finances."

Trump's legal defense was described by the judge as being "unpersuasive and inconsistent."

“The Court is persuaded that the text and structure of the Clause, together with the other uses of the term in the Constitution, support plaintiffs’ definition of ‘Emolument’ rather than that of the President,” Sullivan ruled.