The complaint notes that President Donald Trump “has refused to divest his ownership interest in the Trump Old Post Office LLC” and alleges that his refusal to divest “ownership interest in a company that contracts with the federal government raises numerous issues requiring congressional oversight.” | Getty House Democrats file lawsuit over access to Trump hotel documents

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the General Services Administration over access to documents related to President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel.

Seventeen Democrats filed a complaint Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over GSA's failure to comply with the so-called “seven-member” statute, which mandates federal agencies produce documents requested by any seven members of the House Oversight Committee.


They will say at a news conference later on Thursday that the documents they seek are necessary to determine whether Trump is using his office for private gain, the extent that the Trump International Hotel receives payments from foreign governments or officials, and information on GSA's interpretation of the lease, which bars any elected official of the U.S. government from benefiting from it.

“This hotel is not just a building with Donald Trump’s name on it. It is a glaring symbol of the Trump administration’s lack of accountability and a daily reminder of the refusal by Republicans in Congress to do their job,” Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, will say, according to prepared remarks shared with POLITICO. “This may be standard operating procedure in foreign countries — but not here. Not in America.”

The complaint notes that Trump “has refused to divest his ownership interest in the Trump Old Post Office LLC” and alleges that his refusal to divest “ownership interest in a company that contracts with the federal government raises numerous issues requiring congressional oversight.”

Democrats say GSA under the Obama administration complied with their requests for unredacted documents such as amendments to the lease, the 2017 budget estimate and monthly income statements.

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The Trump White House, however, told federal agencies this summer to ignore Democrats’ oversight requests, a policy backed by a May 1 opinion drafted by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

“Following the inauguration of President Trump, GSA’s practice of honoring Seven Member Rule requests changed, but the rationale for the change has been shifting and contradictory,” the complaint alleges. “GSA’s refusal to comply … following the President’s inauguration was a drastic departure from its position taken on January 3, 2017, and illustrates the need for Congress to conduct oversight of GSA’s ability to manage a lease with the President.”

Cummings plans to say that only one thing has changed since GSA stopped complying: “President Trump is now sitting in the Oval Office.”

The suit, according to his planned remarks, is not about the hotel but about “the president defying a federal statute and denying our ability as members of Congress to fulfill our constitutional duty to act as a check on the executive branch.”

“We regret that we have to go to court to obtain these basic documents, which are clearly within our committee’s jurisdiction,” Cummings will say, blaming Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), for “aiding and abetting” what he called Trump’s “ongoing abuses.” “Republicans are essentially walling off President Trump from credible congressional oversight.”

The Trump administration has 60 days to respond to the Democrats’ suit. Democrats say the court could order GSA to produce the documents they’ve requested, hold GSA in contempt if it refuses or impose penalties against acting GSA Administrator Timothy Horne.