President Donald Trump is being accused of using his presidency for financial gain after foreign government officials paid to stay at hotels he owns.
The attorneys general in Washington DC and Maryland have filed a lawsuit claiming that the payments make him vulnerable to corruption.
"We’re concerned that foreign governments are coming to the Trump businesses with a single purpose of currying special favor from the President of the United States so that their interests can get a higher priority than the interests of the American people," District of Columbia attorney general Karl Racine said at a news conference.
"If that’s not a harm to every American citizen and every resident in the District of Columbia and Maryland, I don’t know what is."
The attorneys general cite the emoluments clause of the Constitution which has never before been heard by the Supreme Court or federal courts.
Although Trump said he gave up day-to-day control of his business empire, he has retained ownership.
While the chance of success is slim, the lawsuit seeks to shine a light on Trump’s personal tax returns to assess the magnitude of his foreign business dealings.
"Mr.Trump is unique in American history in violating the emoluments clause. There is no other president whose domestic and foreign investments, the entanglements, have been so bound up with our policy and our interests, and he is the only president who has refused to disclose the extent of his holdings," said Maryland attorney general Brian Frosh.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer dismissed it as another attempt to destabilise the Trump Presidency.
"It’s not hard to conclude that partisan politics may be one of the motivations behind the suit," he said.
