Trump Brings Legal Woes To White House

When President-elect Donald Trump takes office he will join a small club of sitting presidents to be embroiled in private lawsuits. Among pending legal matters are lawsuits against his Washington, D.C. hotel, and an ongoing investigation by the New York attorney general into whether Trump used his charity for personal benefit. Under constitutional immunity protections, Trump cannot be sued over official acts while serving as president. But he could be named in lawsuits for personal actions or those involving his businesses. Questions of how Trump will separate himself from his business interests are important, AP reports, because “the closer Trump remains to his business while in office, the more he makes himself and the company targets for litigation.” Those attacks may be funded by Trump’s political foes, who see the courtroom as another way to battle his administration, AP writes. “Prior litigation related to his business will not be so easy to dismiss,” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. But the Trump Organization’s general counsel, Alan Garten, said he is unfazed by the prospect of lawsuits funded by political opponents. “People will be wasting their time,” he said.