Supreme Court to Decide Whether House Democrats Can Sue for Information on Trump's Old Post Office Lease
Date
5/16/2023 6:43:23 AM
(MENAFN) The Supreme Court has announced that it will review a case involving House Democrats' attempt to obtain information from a federal agency regarding the lease of the Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C., which was awarded to a company owned by former President Donald Trump. Oral arguments for the case, known as Carnahan v. Maloney, will be heard during the Court's next term, commencing in October. The legal battle represents a clash between the Biden administration, which assumed the case after Trump's departure from office, and Democratic lawmakers.
The underlying dispute dates back to a 2013 agreement between the General Services Administration (GSA) and Trump Old Post Office LLC, a company owned by Donald Trump and three of his children: Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump. Under the agreement, Trump's company undertook the renovation of the Old Post Office building, located just blocks away from the White House, transforming it into the opulent Trump International Hotel. However, the Trump Organization sold the hotel last year, and it has since reopened as a Waldorf Astoria property.
Following Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, the late Representative Elijah Cummings, the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, along with ten other committee members, sent a letter to the GSA. In the letter, they requested unredacted lease documents and expense reports related to the Old Post Office lease. The lawmakers cited Section 2954 of federal law, which mandates executive agencies to provide certain information to congressional oversight committees. This provision allows any seven members of the House Oversight Committee to make such requests and is considered an oversight tool for minority party members.
The case now before the Supreme Court arises from the House Democrats' lawsuit seeking enforcement of their request for information under Section 2954. The lawsuit was initially filed during Trump's presidency but is now being pursued by the Biden administration. The court's decision will have significant implications for the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches, as well as the extent of congressional oversight authority.
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