LAWYER UP

Justice Dept. to Defend Trump in Ethics Lawsuit

Trump's defense will be taxpayer-funded.

President Donald Trump's defense in a forthcoming lawsuit on his alleged business conflicts will be taxpayer-funded, the New York Times reports. The Justice Department will defend Trump in a forthcoming lawsuit by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a group of "constitutional scholars, Supreme Court litigators and former White House ethics lawyers," who claim Trump's business holdings violate the Constitution. The group alleges that Trump's possible business conflicts include his hotels, where they say he accepts money from foreign governments in violation of Constitution’s emoluments clause. The Trump administration has dismissed the suit as "without merit," while the Justice Department is still reviewing the case, the Times reports.