Justice Lawyers Fail to Halt Trump Financial Records Release

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge won’t halt legal proceedings in a case that accuses President Donald Trump of violating a constitutional ban on federal officials accepting benefits from foreign or state governments unless Congress had approved it.

The Justice Department was turned down by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte in Maryland. His one-page order Friday means that Trump’s critics may soon gain access to financial records related to the Trump Organization’s hotel near the White House.

Bringing the case are Maryland and the District of Columbia. Their legal teams have said they plan to move forward quickly with legal discovery, and will try to seek information and financial records that may include Trump’s long-hidden income tax returns.