U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte on Monday approved subpoenas filed by the attorneys general of Washington D.C. and Maryland in a case alleging President Donald Trump profited off of the presidency, the Associated Press reports.
The records that are scheduled to be seized in discovery stand to offer a more clear picture of the finances for Trump’s D.C. hotel, according to the AP.
The two attorneys general said they plan to serve as many as 20 companies and government agencies with subpoenas by Tuesday, according to Politico.
The documents stand to show whether Trump is violating the Emoluments Clause, which Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine reportedly called “our nation’s original anti-corruption laws,” according to the news agency. The law prohibits those in federal office from accepting anything of value from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.
The case is the first of its kind to advance to this stage.
On Friday, lawyers in Trump’s Justice Department appeared to challenge a ruling by a Maryland judge that allowed the case to move forward, according to the news agency. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Legal discovery is scheduled to last through early August, the AP reports.
President Trump is the subject of numerous lawsuits, many of which stem from Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election that led to the Trump presidency.
